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Conscience and Success 


CONSCIENCE 

Trust your most faith¬ 
ful friend — Conscience 
-—and you will be led to 
do what is right. 



Say only what you be¬ 
lieve, for success is yours 
if you believe all you 
say. 






CONSCIENCE 

AND 

SUCCESS 


By 

Fernand E. d’Humy 


Mc-Devitt-Wilson’s, I nc. 
30 Church Street 


3 V45DI 


COPYRIGHT, I923 

BY 

Fernand E. d’Humy 



\© C1A759835 
©C1A760627 


Printed in U. S. A., by 
The International Press, New York 


OCT 31 *23 

'VcS J 


FOREWORD. 

This little book is proffered in the 
spirit of service. May it help many to 
broaden their scope of thought and 
thereby improve their lives and arouse 
in them greater devotion to efforts 
directed to the common welfare. May 
it serve as a stepping stone along the 
path that leads to the highest goal. 





YOUR INHERENT RIGHTS. 


E VERY normal man and woman desires hap- 
piness. Each wishes to be loved by others; 
to lead useful, clean and healthful lives; to enjoy 
understanding and prosperity, and to be free from 
all abnormal desires and ambitions. It is the desire 
of none to entertain covetousness, but instead, we 
all prefer to be generous and to give freely to 
others that which we possess and which we could 
not have gained without the generosity of a bounti¬ 
ful World. We have all felt the pleasure thrill 
coursing through our veins when giving to others. 
Never is the same satisfaction experienced when 
we reach out for possession of material things for 
ourselves. 

The exquisite state outlined above can be gained 
only through observing the laws of life. You 
possess the quality to radiate love, health, hap¬ 
piness, prosperity. This is your natural and in¬ 
herent right. These qualities are abundant in this 
World and will converge to you in exhaustless 
streams if you will become conscious of your true 
inheritance. When we meet a person brimming 
7 


8 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


over with health, happiness, enthusiasm and love, 
we feel something inducing these very same qual¬ 
ities within ourselves and it would not take much 
to make them burst forth with similar radiance. 
Health and happiness in others are always ad¬ 
mired and make us ambitious to be similarly 
blessed. 

There are no reasons why you should not be 
all that you desire for yourself. The mere fact 
that you are endowed with a desire or wish, 
means that you are sensitive to the promptings of 
your natural inheritance, and that unless desires 
are distorted by inharmonies of your own making, 
there is nothing to prevent their full realization. 
Desires and wishes are given to us by a Supreme 
Power that our lives may be guided by them. 
All natural desires are good and when unadulterat¬ 
ed with wrong notions, will lead you through a 
perfect life, one in which you will enjoy every 
happiness and prosperity your heart may wish for. 

Unhappiness, ill health, poverty, wretchedness, 
hatred and lawlessnesss are not natural inheritances; 
they are man made; they are avoidable and when 
one is in the meshes of some or all of these in¬ 
harmonies, as many of us are, we can wade out 
of the mire by learning that only the good things 
are ours by natural gift. When one grows to 


YOUR INHERENT RIGHTS 


9 


realize fully that this is a law, just as exact as 
the law of mathematics, and exercises it, he gains 
complete self control and is able to make for 
himself any position in this life which he may 
choose. 

Consider carefully the simple statements just 
made to you. If you are already possessed with 
full understanding, so much the better, iterations of 
these thoughts may serve to strengthen your con¬ 
victions. If you are in doubt or have not paused 
long enough on this most important phase of your 
welfare, then take the time to do so right now and 
here while your attention is on these pages. Read 
what is said here carefully, and if need be, re¬ 
peatedly. They are not idle words and are full 
of meaning and truth. They are of tremendous 
importance to you. As told to you a moment be¬ 
fore, you have it in your power to assume complete 
control of yourself, to surround yourself with all 
of the good things of life. Health, happiness, 
prosperity, love, are all at your command. Surely 
you are ready to reach out for these, especially 
when they may be attained by moderate effort and 
without departing from your chosen vocation or 
without hindrance to your affairs, no matter what 
they may be. All that is necessary is to become 
better acquainted with the laws which govern you 


10 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


and learn to understand them so well that you 
become conscious of their workings in all things 
that you think or do. 

The lessons taught nearly two thousand years 
ago by our Great Teacher and handed down to 
all generations, are the greatest and best ever given 
to man. If we will heed them and give them un¬ 
derstanding thought, we shall learn the laws of life, 
gain full control of ourselves and enter into a life 
of unselfish happiness, supplying our daily needs 
from an inexhaustible supply, wanting for nothing, 
distributing good and assisting others to share 
freely of all the gifts so generously given us by 
God. 

It is true we all have, to a greater or less degree, 
been taught these lessons in our Sunday Schools, 
Parochial Schools or Bible Classes, but with few 
exceptions, we have not grasped their full meaning 
and give them little thought in our daily occupa¬ 
tions. The fact that these lessons after they are 
in the background, seldom enter the minds of the 
majority of people, is positive proof that we have 
not learned to appreciate them to their fullest ex¬ 
tent. When we become thoroughly familiar with 
them and understand the messages they convey, 
they remain constantly with us, ever guiding us 
into right paths and encouraging us in our duties. 


YOUR INHERENT RIGHTS 


11 


Even though we may attend Church regularly, it 
is seldom that we grasp the full meaning of the 
words uttered by our Great Teacher. This little 
book is especially written to ask those who have 
so far failed to grasp their full inheritance, to 
pause long enough to gain a better understanding 
of N what is taught by our Great Teacher, that they 
may better appreciate the work of their respective 
Churches, that they may better understand the 
laws of life, and through this greater understand¬ 
ing, gain fuller mastery over themselves with all 
the unlimited benefits which positively accompany 
lawful living. 

Do not hesitate to read further, even though you 
think these pages might interfere with your religious 
belief. They will not do that in any way. They 
will make you appreciate more the sterling lessons 
handed down through the Christian religion. 

It is unfortunate that we are all so reserved 
in regard to conversing freely with one another on 
spiritual subjects. We seem to be ashamed to do 
so and in consequence, seldom are words relating 
to spiritual subjects exchanged among friends or 
even adult members of the same family, except 
perhaps, commonplace talk of affairs of the Church, 
or among and by the clergy. We all lose a great 
deal by this reticence; it is evident that there is 


12 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


some uncertainty in our minds as to the verity of 
our adopted beliefs. We are afraid to impose 
them upon others and we are apt to resent any 
discourse on the subject addressed to ourselves. 
Many young men, in fact it is safe to say, the 
large majority of young men of today, feel it to 
be unmanly to talk religion, while they feel proud 
to discuss athletics. Occasionally we find, under 
some virile leadership, a group of young men who 
are outwardly proud of their religious understand¬ 
ing. Invariably the individuals of such groups are 
healthy, vigorous, manly chaps who are just as 
fond of, and usually are more proficient in athletics 
than their mistaken or more bashful brothers. 

Unfortunately, ancient artists, in their attempt 
to emphasize the spiritual qualities of Jesus, have 
portrayed Him as a delicate, effeminate man, and 
through the perpetuation of their labors, this mis¬ 
taken notion has been passed to us and stands 
corrected only in the minds of those who are 
more familiar with His life. Jesus was a most 
manly man, capable of enduring extreme hard¬ 
ships, full of the courage of his convictions, feared 
no one and if need be, used force as he did upon 
entering the Temple Court and noticing the traf¬ 
ficking at the very foot of the “Holy of Holies.” 
He was so shocked by the noisy clatter of the 


YOUR INHERENT RIGHTS 


13 


money changers and avaricious traders in mer¬ 
chandizing their wares that he pushed his way 
helter-skelter among them, overturned their stalls 
and tables, and with a whip, single-handed, drove 
them out. His manliness was tempered with meek¬ 
ness and love, and without trace of self-esteem. 
His manliness was of the kind every one admires. 
It was of the kind that inspires. Where his ex¬ 
ample is tellingly brought before us, the young 
men of today are bound to join in the spirit of true 
thinking and be proud to outwardly acknowledge 
their relation to, and respect for their Creator. 
They will be proud to be associated with their 
respective Churches and anxious to give them 
full attendance. 

It is difficult to step from the habit of reticence 
on the subject of the spiritual side of our lives, 
into one where we freely express ourselves openly, 
seek enlightenment, and volunteer spiritual aid to 
others. The transition can only be made gradual¬ 
ly. The habit of giving a greater part of our 
thought to the subject, than has been our custom 
heretofore, must be formed; an ever increasing 
belief in one’s own spiritual powers must be en¬ 
tertained and an increasing understanding of our 
unity with God should be gained. 

It will be found that as we thus advance, so it 


14 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


will become easier and more natural for us to 
interchange with others, thoughts leading to mutual 
welfare. Let us then consider the subject together, 
in the privacy of these pages and as we feel 
stronger we may discourse more freely with those 
with whom we customarily “rub elbows.” 


THE MESSIAH AUTHENTICATED. 


Let no one think for a moment that to follow 
the path of understanding will deprive him of 
some or all of the good things of life. On the 
contrary, that path is beset with abundance from 
which all may draw in full measure. The humble 
birth and life of Jesus was a necessary part in the 
scheme of events to carry conviction of his true 
Messiahship through to future generations. The 
cattle stable was a fitting birth place for Him who 
came to reveal that the soul of the greatest monarch 
was no greater in God’s sight than that of his 
meanest slave. He made the great sacrifice that 
we might enjoy our natural inheritance. 

It will be truly helpful, if, at the beginning of 
our thoughts which we are to carry through these 
pages, we are sufficiently reminded of the remark¬ 
able prophecies of the Messiah’s arrival on earth 
to awaken in those of us, who have perchance, 
allowed the realization to fade, a keener apprecia¬ 
tion of the fact that the World was given to clearly 
understand many years in advance of his arrival, 
that the Messiah would arrive, and that it was 


15 


16 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


in the person of Jesus that this prophecy was ful¬ 
filled. With this in view, the following brief out¬ 
line is offered: 

The Messiah’s coming was predicted in the 
scriptures, in no mistakable manner. The evidence, 
so far as ancestral descent is concerned, is per¬ 
fect. The purpose of God and prophecy require 
that the Messiah should be descended through 
certain persons especially designated in the Old 
Testament. The Evangelists and apostles furnish 
indisputable testimony that Jesus of Nazareth was 
thus descended. Besides a prescribed lineage, there 
was to be one circumstance connected with his birth 
which would point him out in distinction from all 
others. He was to be borne of a virgin. The 
circumstances of his birth are also true to predic¬ 
tion. There is not only the indisputable testimony 
of Mary and Joseph, of the visitation of the angel 
and the miraculous conception and birth of Jesus, 
but also of Mary’s cousin Elizabeth, a woman of 
great piety and the wife of a very reputable priest 
by the name of Zacharias; Elizabeth, at the event¬ 
ful time of which we speak, was “well stricken 
in years’’ and also was about to become the Mother 
of an extraordinary person (John the Baptist). 

The nativity of the Messiah is also true to 
prophesy, as given by the Prophet Micah. 


THE MESSIAH AUTHENTICATED 


17 


We cannot help but admire the over-ruling pro¬ 
vidence of God. Joseph and Mary, since their mar¬ 
riage, had been living at Nazareth, a town in Ga¬ 
lilee. It was in this town that they had seen the 
extraordinary visions. They had received no in¬ 
timation that the birth place of the predicted child 
was to be in Bethlehem; nor did they suppose 
that it would vitiate his claims to the Messiahship 
if the birth occurred at Nazareth. Probably the 
prophecy of Micah had escaped their notice. No 
ordinary circumstances would have taken them to 
Bethlehem; the distance was considerable and 
Mary’s condition unsuited to the fatigues of travel. 
But he who has ordained the end, has also or¬ 
dained the means. Emperor Caesar Augustus, 
ignorant of the prophecy and of the Messiah, hold¬ 
ing the Jews in contempt, and believing not their 
sacred writings, was made to fulfill the prophecy. 
He issued a decree, “that all the world should 
be taxed.** It thus became necessary for each 
Jew to report in his own tribe and town and so 
unexpectedly compelled Joseph and Mary to leave 
Nazareth for Bethlehem (City of David) just at 
the time when Mary was about to be delivered of 
her son. Upon their arrival at Bethlehem the town 
was brimming over with strangers like themselves; 
every house and inn was crowded. They were 


18 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


footworn and faint and the only shelter they could 
find was a rough stable behind an inn. Here 
it was that Jesus was born and a manger formed 
his cradle. 

Shepherds, having seen a wonderful star in 
the East, and having been advised of its significance 
by an Angel, arrived at the stable at the break 
of day in search of the new born Saviour. And 
when they had seen Him they went out and told 
their experience to everybody in the crowded vil¬ 
lage and thus the great news was spread abroad. 

Even the time when Jesus was to make his ap¬ 
pearance, was prophesied. The prophecy which 
most accurately fixes that time, is one delivered by 
Daniel. Among the Jews, belief in divine inspira¬ 
tion was universal. No doubt many false prophets 
existed, but these never destroyed the faith of the 
nation in the testimony of authenticated prophecy. 
The scriptures have been analyzed and reanalyzed 
by men of learning since the beginning of Chris¬ 
tianity, and compared with authenticated happen¬ 
ings in Jesus’ life from so many angles and in 
such a thorough manner, that all doubt will be 
cleared from the mind of the most sceptical per¬ 
son, if he will take pains to review the evidence 
at hand. Our most learned students on the sub¬ 
ject, no matter how materially scientific they may 


THE MESSIAH AUTHENTICATED 19 

be, accept without the question of a doubt, the fact 
that Jesus is the Messiah predicted in the old 
scriptures, that he is the Son of God, and that 
he came among men that they might learn their 
true relation to God and be saved. 

It is proven that the Messiah’s coming on earth 
was prophesied, his ancestry prophesied, his birth 
place prophesied and the manner and time of his 
birth, were prophesied. This is not all, important 
events in his life were prophesied; his death and 
the manner thereof were prophesied, also his re¬ 
surrection. There is no loop-hole for uncertainty; 
the evidence is startling and convincing to all who 
study history. No one can afford to be indifferent 
to these facts; they are of paramount importance 
to each and every one of us, for with the sup¬ 
porting evidence of Jesus* true Messiahship back¬ 
ing us, our faith in his teachings should be immense¬ 
ly strengthened. It is not enough to acknowledge 
to ourselves that we believe these things and then 
meander indifferently along. To do so only 
means that we have not come into the full realiza¬ 
tion of the truth and the meaning behind it. Do 
not allow yourself to drift in this manner, but 
instead concentrate your attention sufficiently on 
the subject to become enthusiastic, to become in¬ 
spired by the great works of our Creator, and 


20 CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 

to desire to know more intimately the teachings 
of Christ. If you will do this, you will without 
a question of doubt, find yourself on a road, that 
will lead you to a happiness and success that you 
had not before thought possible. You will be 
preparing for yourself that position of perfect 
balance in life which the Son of God came on 
earth to give to all men who are ready to accept 
their lawful inheritance. 

When we realize that the prophecies referred 
to were made centuries before they were fulfilled 
in Jesus, and how, in every particular, they were 
accurately carried out without any premeditated 
plan or pre-arrangement of events by man, and 
that instead, man was hardly aware of the sig¬ 
nificance of the events which were transpiring at 
the time, we cannot help but marvel at the ir¬ 
resistible guiding hand of God. When we realize 
the truth of all this and become thoroughly im¬ 
bued with it, we know that it is a law and 
that everything, animate and inanimate, is governed 
by it, and that the law cannot be violated without 
the sacrifice of harmony. When we know with 
absolute positiveness that Jesus lived for us and 
voluntarily and purposely suffered the terrible 
agony of crucifixion that his lessons might carry 
down through the future ages so that all mankind 


THE MESSIAH AUTHENTICATED 21 

might learn and come into its inherent rights, we 
are inspired to make of ourselves, men and wo¬ 
men worthy of one so noble. We will then in¬ 
dividually desire to lead perfect lives, to carry and 
radiate love, health, joy, prosperity, and with 
all these, patience and sympathy with those who do 
not, as yet, understand so well the truth and who 
are suffering the consequences of their errors. 


THE EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 


Those who have gained a confident knowledge 
of God’s law, have also gained a confidence in 
the efficacy of prayer. They know that their 
prayers are always answered and they never say 
a prayer without knowing in advance that they 
are to receive that for which they ask. Such peo¬ 
ple possess unadulterated faith. Faith is the cul¬ 
mination of understanding of God’s law as taught 
by Jesus. True faith is the greatest power given 
to man on earth. Nothing transcends it. 

A prayer repeated as by a poll-parrot, is of 
little value and may as well be left unsaid. A 
prayer said with a feeling of doubt, also is of 
little value. It is because of indifference, uncer¬ 
tainties, or doubt as to whether or not a prayer is 
heard, that so many find disappointment instead of 
fulfillment. One must commune whole-heartedly 
with God and feel oneself in his presence. Then, 
and then only, will you ask for what is right and 
for what is good and you will never ask for what 
is wrong. You will have no desire for the latter 
and you will always, for the asking, receive the 
former in great abundance. 

22 


THE EFFICACY OF PRAYER 


23 


Read the last two paragraphs a second time be¬ 
fore proceeding further, read them slowly and be 
sure that you understand their full significance. 
Then search yourself and determine, as nearly as 
you can, where you stand. Perhaps you may be 
one who seldom or never resorts to prayer, or 
perhaps you simply repeat the prayers taught you 
when a child, in a rather mechanical way and 
without mentally taking part in their meaning; or 
you may feel doubtful as to whether your prayers 
will be heard; or you may ask for things that 
your intuition tells you, you are not yet entitled 
to. After you understand any or all of your 
weaknesses in these respects, you will have made a 
very important stride forward, for then you will be 
in a position to correct them at will. 

Take each weakness singly and set out to con¬ 
sistently and persistently correct it, and you will 
find that new habits will be formed that will always 
stay by you and which you will cherish. Your 
confidence in prayer will grow and you will no 
longer feel reticent in making known to others 
that you seek help in this manner. You will no 
longer feel that to do so is a sign of lack of 
strength of character. I refer particularly to in¬ 
dividual prayer, for many do not feel bashful 
about joining others in prayer in Church. You 


24 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


will not feel content unless you are encouraging 
others to avail themselves of similar support. 

The efficacy of prayer has been recognized by 
our most aggressive men. Even Jesus, as close as 
he was to God, always strengthened himself by 
frequent communion with the Father. It is im¬ 
possible to enumerate the large numbers of great 
men whom we learn through history were devoted 
to prayer. It is of interest to mention at least one 
with whom we of today feel intimately acquainted. 
That person is none other than our beloved Gen¬ 
eral Foch. We are all convinced of his strength 
of character, of his fearlessness, of his poise under 
the most trying circumstances, and of his ability 
as a soldier. None doubt that he is a courageous, 
vigorous man. All through those fearful years of 
war when every minute of his time was made to 
count, he was known to devote some time each 
day to prayer. Frequently he spent as much as 
an hour alone in a nearby Church where he held 
communion with our Father. Thus one of our 
most able and beloved soldiers was refreshed and 
received encouragement and guidance in the most 
difficult and responsible task ever placed on the 
shoulders of one man. The welfare of the peoples 
of the entire world was dependent upon his judg¬ 
ment. His word could cause the sacrifice of 


THE EFFICACY OF PRAYER 


25 


tens of thousands of lives each day. He surely 
needed divine support and he was courageous 
enough not to hide the fact that he needed it and 
depended upon it. 

It was after her prayer had passed the phase 
of words, and while she was in close communion 
with God, that the Virgin Mary in all her gentle 
purity received the divine word that she was to 
bring forth a Son, conceived of the Holy Ghost 
and that Son was to be the Son of God. Also 
we learn that the Priest Zacharias was perform¬ 
ing his office and those present were praying when 
he received the divine word that his prayers had 
been heard and that his wife Elizabeth was to 
bear him a son who should be named John (John 
the Baptist). 

Jesus emphasized the value of direct appeal to 
God in these words: “Ask whatsoever ye will 
and it shall be done unto you.** 

Thus we have examples of faith in prayer that 
none can pass by without definitely accepting this 
very wonderful and certain channel of intercourse 
with our Father. It is through this intercourse that 
we learn right from wrong, that we learn to do 
good, that we are able to guide our lives so that 
they become perfect happy lives. It is through this 
intercourse that we are made strong men and wo- 


26 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


men. Through it that we are able to take command 
of ourselves and to influence others in following the 
same road. This course is yours for the seeking. 
Diligence in this respect will give you complete 
mastery over yourself and over all things of the 
earth that are necessary to a useful happy life. 


SENSE OF DUTY AND CONSCIENCE. 


The teachings of Jesus, the greatest ever given 
to men, were given in a brief ministry of three 
years and in the midst of much opposition from 
the Jewish clergy. Unfortunately, practically noth¬ 
ing is known of his life between the time of his 
birth and his ministry, except one important in¬ 
cident when he was twelve years of age. Shortly 
after his birth, Jesus was taken by Mary and 
Joseph to Egypt to protect him from the jealousy 
of King Herod who wished to slay the prophesied 
King of the Jews. Ancient legends say that the 
holy family remained absent from Palestine two 
years, after which time it returned to Nazareth 
where the child was raised to manhood; thus again 
fulfilling the word spoken by the prophets—“He 
shall be called a Nazarene.” 

According to custom, Mary and Joseph went 
to Jerusalem to the feast of the Passover every 
year, and upon reaching the prescribed age of 
twelve, took the boy Jesus with them to be present 
at the temple ceremonies for recognition as a mem¬ 
ber of the congregation. The feast lasted seven 
27 


28 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


days and was attended by great multitudes who 
came from long distances in large companies and 
caravans. It was as members of such a company 
that the holy family traveled from Nazareth to 
Jerusalem. At the conclusion of the ceremonies, 
and when Mary and Joseph had traveled a day’s 
journey toward their home, they discovered that 
Jesus was not with their caravan. After a diligent 
search they returned to Jerusalem. There, after 
three days “they found him in the Temple, sit¬ 
ting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them 
and asking them questions. And all who heard 
him were astonished at his understanding and an¬ 
swers.” 

Mary’s amazement on finding her son in such 
distinguished company and the object of such de¬ 
ference and respect, did not lead her to lose the 
memory of the anguish his absence had caused, 
and in gentle reproof she said: “Son, why hast 
thou thus dealt with us? Behold, thy father and I 
have sought thee sorrowing.” The child appeared 
surprised at the question and answered, “How is 
it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must 
be about my Father’s business?” He thereupon 
as a dutiful son, joined his parents and returned 
with them to Nazareth. 

Jesus’ answer to his Mother’s question is worthy 


SENSE OF DUTY AND CONSCIENCE 29 

of our consideration. To begin with, the child 
was astonished that his Mother did not take it 
for granted that he should be attending to his 
Father’s business, and it no doubt was due to 
the unexpected anguish he detected in her that he 
replied as he did. Under the circumstances no 
unfilial reproof can possibly be attached to the 
words of this dutiful Son. It was more of a re¬ 
minder of his true paternity and of his mission 
on earth. It was a reminder that he was truly 
the Son of God and that Joseph was only his 
foster father. His Father had not been seeking 
him for he was there in the temple, his Father’s 
house, and engaged in his Father’s business. Al¬ 
though obedient to his Mother, he showed plainly 
that he understood the superior claim of the divine 
Father. This recognition was later shown con¬ 
tinually during his ministry and the thought that 
he “must be about my Father’s business’’ was 
constantly present. He was ever conscious of the 
necessity of wasting no time and of making every 
moment count. 

“Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s 
business?’* Heed these words; they are a lesson 
to us. How often does your conscience tell you 
that you should not waste your time; that you 
should be doing something useful; something where- 


30 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


by others will derive benefit; something to improve 
yourself so as to be better fitted for greater ser¬ 
vice? It is quite safe to say that your conscience 
has told you these things often, but perhaps your 
attention has been distracted, or perhaps things of 
seemingly greater concern have been given first at¬ 
tention, with every intention of taking up the things 
of duty at a later time, but with the result that 
they became forgotten or further postponed by 
new things of interest which continually arise. 

Repeatedly setting aside or postponing the per¬ 
formance of those things which the conscience 
urges one to do, or acting contrary to its dictates, 
is most dangerous, for a habit is soon developed, 
and brushing aside the promptings of conscience 
becomes automatic. By so doing one becomes 
callous, and does not so easily sense right from 
wrong and becomes indifferent to the kind of life 
he leads. Unhappiness, wretchedness, ill health, 
poverty, failure and hard luck then enter into an 
individual’s existence. Positively and unmistak¬ 
ably, some or all of these unwelcome ills will soon¬ 
er or later enter the life of any and every in¬ 
dividual who repeatedly holds the door closed 
when his conscience knocks. No one can afford 
to grow deaf to this very valuable guide. Every 
normal child is born with full hearing and is very 


SENSE OF DUTY AND CONSCIENCE 31 

sensitive to its whispers. Children, generally, are 
more sensitive to the guidance of their consciences 
than are adults. This should not be so, and ac¬ 
counts for the fact that the great masses are not 
enjoying happy wholesome lives. The ability to 
become more and more responsive to our con¬ 
sciences as we grow older, should parallel all other 
developments that take place in the growth of a 
human being. When we reach maturity our 
obedience to our conscience should be far greater 
than it is in early childhood. It should become a 
habit by constant practice and therefore always 
effective. 

What an extraordinary asset it would be to pos¬ 
sess the faculty of always doing that which is 
right and proper as regards the law of life. With 
that faculty developed as it should be, instead of 
being smothered to a greater or less degree as it 
is only too frequently, what wonderfully happy 
lives we would be living. This world would be 
a paradise for us all. If you are unconscious of 
your conscience, you are to blame, and you are 
the only one that can remedy such an appalling de¬ 
fect in yourself. The consequences of this smoth¬ 
ering of your very valuable faculty, are beyond 
description. You are being caused to stray from 
the lawful paths of life. This means that you are 


32 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


not imparting to others, love, happiness and pros¬ 
perity, and that you are not enjoying these your¬ 
self as you should, and that more likely you are 
wretched or have ill health, are troubled with 
anxieties, bear animosities, are dissatisfied, or have 
other ills too numerous to mention. If you are 
only partly unconscious of your conscience, you 
may only suffer some or all of the ills referred to, 
to a less degree and in a way that directly depends 
upon the extent and manner in which you have 
handicapped yourself. Under any circumstances, 
the only safe thing to do is to be constantly on the 
alert so that you will know when and how your 
conscience is directing you and when to abide by 
its dictates. 

You have no doubt said many times “my con¬ 
science.” In this discussion with you I have men¬ 
tioned “our consciences” and “your conscience”. 
Now these seem to be very ordinary expressions 
indeed, but have you ever stopped to realize the 
real significance attached to them? Some of us 
have, but many have not. Just think for a mo¬ 
ment; what is it that so correctly tells you what 
is right and what is wrong, if you have not already 
dampened your most important inheritance? Or 
what is it that is urging you to duty or worries 
you when you are neglecting to do the things that 


SENSE OF DUTY AND CONSCIENCE 33 


you should do or when you are not dealing fairly 
with another? You may answer, “it is my con¬ 
science”. True, but do you credit yourself with 
such unfailingly accurate impulses? If you do, 
then you have completely failed to understand 
yourself. It is then quite certain that you cannot 
explain by what process of mind your conscience 
makes itself known. To say that it is your in¬ 
stinct, is very much the same as saying that it is 
your conscience. Neither can be traced to your 
own direct process of thinking or reasoning. The 
influence of which you become conscious, as con¬ 
science, is an involuntary one, one over which you 
have no control. It is there whether you desire 
it to be or not. Sometimes it is there when you 
would like it to be elsewhere, and you brush it 
aside or close your mind to it, for it is trying to 
change your path of action from one which you 
think you prefer, and which is not really and truly 
for your welfare, to one that is. If you are un¬ 
willing to be governed by this directing influence, 
then undoubtedly it is not consistent to claim that 

it is yours. Certainly there is every evidence that 

it is not of your own making. It is for you, but 

it is not of you or by you; it is with you in spite 

of yourself. 

Having thus given thought to the subject of 


34 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


conscience, we cannot help but arrive at the con¬ 
clusion that it is a power exerted from without. 
The knowledge that all persons are similarly in¬ 
fluenced by conscience and that differences as to 
right and wrong for different individuals do not 
in any way exist, and that it always spells the 
same thing for everybody, is proof that it is from 
one and the same source. It is one universal 
power for good exerting itself upon all persons. 
It can be nothing less than the directing power of 
God. The reasoning that we have just followed 
that leads us to this conclusion, is very brief, but 
nevertheless, is most convincing. Many more proofs 
could be added, but to do so would only take time 
and gain little for us. 

With the realization that our conscience is the 
presence of God and that God is intimately in 
touch with each one of us through this channel, 
we at once gain an unfailing respect for that in¬ 
fluence. We are then less likely to trifle with it, 
for we know that we are not denying ourselves 
when we act contrary to our conscience, but in¬ 
stead we know that we are disobeying the wishes 
of the Supreme Father. 

Sense of duty is given to all of us and those 
who are moved to govern themselves faithfully 
from the beginning, through the dictates of their 


SENSE OF DUTY AND CONSCIENCE 35 

consciences, are bound to experience wonderful 
development. Jesus offers us a striking lesson in 
this connection by the glimpse given to the world 
when he was but twelve years old: “Wist ye not 
that I must be about my Father’s business’*. None 
but the most conscientious child could utter such 
words. The thought underlying them could not 
have been spontaneous and could only be develop¬ 
ed from a progressive conscientiousness which had 
its beginning in very early childhood. For eighteen 
years thereafter his life is concealed and not until 
the end of that interval when his ministry began, 
are we again privileged to receive authentic word 
from him. His great works during his ministry 
stand as evidence that he diligently respected and 
nurtured his conscience, for what we see already 
well developed in the boy of twelve, we see in a 
magnified state in the man of thirty. He was con¬ 
scious from a very early age that his conscience 
was his contact with his Supreme Father. This is 
evident by his teachings during his three years’ 
ministry. 

To gain our full inheritance, we should learn 
to respect our sense of duty or conscience at a 
very early age, and encourage it to grow, unham¬ 
pered, with the normal development of our facul¬ 
ties. As our understanding of life increases, we 


36 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


shall grow into the realization that our conscience 
is our contact with the guiding power of God. 
We shall know and feel God with us; we will 
be conscious of his ever presence; we will have no 
fear, our courage will be indomitable; we will have 
perfect command of ourselves and of all things. 
No one can deny the truth of this statement. Some 
may say that it is not possible to become as 
Jesus, for he is the Son of God. To those who 
believe this, let it be remembered that Jesus him¬ 
self tells us “Greater works than these shall ye 
do.” All we need is to have understanding and 
faith. The degree to which we attain these is 
dependent upon how diligently we follow the dic¬ 
tates of our conscience. 

Most of us will find that we have not been 
about our Father’s business as diligently as we 
should have and that in consequence we are mere 
infants as regards our ability to take full ad¬ 
vantage of our inheritance. Our lives lack much. 
Fortunately it is never too late to improve and 
we, including those who may be well advanced 
in years, still have time to make tremendous strides. 
Start in now and do that which your sense of duty 
tells you to do instead of something else you be¬ 
lieve you prefer. It may not be easy at first, but 
it is surprising what advances can be made in this 


SENSE OF DUTY AND CONSCIENCE 37 

way, step by step. New points of view will open 
one by one. You will not be giving up any of 
the real pleasures of this life, but instead you will 
be taking on new ones that you had never thought 
of before. Remember that you cannot reach a 
state of perfect harmony with your conscience, in 
one stride. Jesus was thirty years old before he 
felt that he had attained sufficient perfection to 
justify him in commencing his ministry, although 
he must have begun to follow the path of con¬ 
science very early in life, as is evidenced by his 
advanced state at the age of twelve. 

It seems as though there is a divine purpose in 
giving to the generations succeeding the birth of 
Jesus, the one incidence when Jesus went to the 
temple to be enrolled as a member of the con¬ 
gregation, and no other, between the time of his 
birth and the commencement of his ministry thirty 
years after. This one glimpse into the child’s life 
stands out alone as a shining lesson to all who stop 
to give it thought. The various stages of his de¬ 
velopment are left to our individual imaginations, 
for the only words handed down to us are: “And 
Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor 
with God and man.’’ 


PREPARE YOURSELF THROUGH 
SERVICE AND THOUGHT. 

Outside of the New Testament, references to 
Jesus are very scanty. Practically nothing was 
written of his ministry until some years after his 
death. His disciples believed so fully in his speedy 
return to them after his death that all motive for 
recording his sayings was removed, and as Jesus, 
himself, wrote nothing, we are given only those 
incidents that were preserved in the memories of 
his disciples and handed down by word of mouth. 
The records, therefore, lack proper sequence of 
events and it is even uncertain how long his ministry 
lasted, although according to the Fourth Gospel, 
it lasted three years. Those who lived during his 
ministry did not realize what a tremendous power 
the Christian religion was to become; they were 
not far-sighted people and were thoroughly im¬ 
mersed in their own faith which they accepted more 
by reason of its having been handed down to them 
by their fathers, than because of their real un¬ 
derstanding of its teachings. It is very easy to 
glean how those narrow-minded people failed to 
38 


SERVICE AND THOUGHT 


39 


recognize the Christ who was predicted in their 
own cherished scriptures. Even when he revealed 
his identity with his own lips, the multitudes would 
not believe him. His response to the Samarian 
woman at the well when she said to Jesus “I know 
that Messiah cometh which is called Christ: when 
he is come he will tell us all things,” was “I that 
speak unto thee am he.” Later when Jesus was 
on trial for his life, the High Priest, seeking evi¬ 
dence by which he could convict Jesus, asked him 
“Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” 
To this question Jesus answered “I am: and ye 
shall see the Son of man setting on the right hand 
of power, and coming in the clouds of Heaven.” 

Under the circumstances it is really wonderful 
that so many of Jesus’ words have been saved to 
the world, and the fact that we have been so 
favored, is further evidence that it was the Divine 
purpose that so many of his teachings should be 
given to all who are willing to listen. Greater 
understanding is given to his words today than 
ever before. At the time they were uttered they 
were the least understood. It is doubtful if even 
his disciples understood their full import for the 
disciples were not men of learning. They were no 
doubt converted to the belief in his Messiaship, 
through the works which he performed, rather than 


40 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


through their understanding of his words. The so- 
called miracles Jesus performed were necessary to 
impress the people of his time. Without them he 
would have received no notice and his words would 
never have been imparted to the subsequent genera¬ 
tions. 

A great Christian wave is now pouring over the 
World which is a wave of appreciation and under¬ 
standing of the teachings of Jesus Christ. Not 
since the time John the Baptist appeared on the 
banks of the River Jordan proclaiming the coming 
of the Lord and baptising all who would be saved, 
has such a wave rolled over the human family. 
At that time there was a wave of Messianic ex¬ 
pectation. Every one felt it in the air of Palestine; 
it was the topic about the market place, the Temple 
and in all villages; Roman rulers feared it. Ful¬ 
fillment of the prophecies were breathlessly ex¬ 
pected, yet with all this tension and expectation 
there was no definite understanding of what was 
to transpire or when and where men would meet 
their Saviour. At the present moment there is 
every evidence that we are at the beginning of a 
tremendous wave of understanding; one in which 
the true meaning of Jesus’ words are to be sought 
by millions; one in which these millions will, col¬ 
lectively and individually, realize their own true 


SERVICE AND THOUGHT 


41 


relation to God and the power they have vested 
in themselves. As a result of this new impetus, 
the World will greatly benefit. How long it will 
take for the crest to be reached, is of course im¬ 
possible to predict. It may be decades or genera¬ 
tions, but that it is already in motion, is very evi¬ 
dent. This is no idle statement or prediction. 
Just look around you carefully; talk with others, 
gain their confidence and learn what is in their 
minds. You will marvel at your observations and 
you will feel sure that these words are true. 

When John the Baptist, the son of the Priest 
Zacharias, came out of retirement and preached 
upon the banks of the stream, everybody was talk¬ 
ing of him. For several hundred years the 
Hebrews had numbered no prophet among their 
great men, and the rumor that one had come out 
of the desert, caused great excitement, and he 
gathered around him a considerable following. He 
preached the baptism of repentance for the remis¬ 
sion of sins, “Repent ye for the Kingdom of 
Heaven is at hand”. He admonished those about 
him in various ways “and as the people were in 
expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of 
John, whether he were the Christ, or not; John 
answered unto them all ‘I indeed baptize you with 
water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet 


42 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he 
shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with 
fire: whose fan is in his hand, and he will thorough¬ 
ly purge his floor and will gather the wheat into 
his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire un¬ 
quenchable’. And many other things in his ex¬ 
hortation preached he unto the people.” 

Thus it was that John the Baptist announced 
the coming of Christ yet he was not aware that 
Jesus was to come to him to be baptised, nor 
that his coming was so near at hand. When He 
first came to the banks of the Jordan, the great 
forerunner, according to his own emphatic and 
twice repeated testimony, “Knew Him not.” 
John’s preaching was forcible; he counselled the 
religion of right living which made so much im¬ 
pression upon his hearers that news of this great 
prophet rapidly spread throughout the surrounding 
country. 

No doubt word reached Jesus of the religious 
revival on the banks of the Jordan and this must 
have excited his interest for he wended his way 
to John. Perhaps He did not know why he was 
attracted to that place. It could not have been 
mere idle curiosity, and the impulse must have 
been strong, for the distance travelled was con¬ 
siderable. Even He may not have realized that 


SERVICE AND THOUGHT 43 

the journey he was then undertaking was to be 
the beginning of his ministry. No doubt there was 
a desire brimming over in his heart to become 
active in his mission on earth, but the method of 
approach and the time must have been ill defined 
in his mind as the beginning of all really great 
undertakings are but vaguely previsualized. 

When Jesus reached the banks of the Jordan, 
at that time unrevealed as the Messiah, there must 
have been something in his appearance and man¬ 
ner which overawed and captivated the heart of 
John, something which told the latter than Jesus was 
no ordinary man. Although the two men were sec¬ 
ond cousins, there is no evidence that there had 
been any companionship between them. The se¬ 
paration of their respective abodes, Jesus’ in Ga¬ 
lilee and John’s in Judea, was sufficiently wide 
to make intercourse rare and very likely not to 
have occurred at all. 

When Jesus presented himself for baptism John 
must have seen in him a sinless man and therefore 
in no need of purification through baptism; he 
thereupon humbly answered Jesus “I have need to 
be baptized by Thee and comest Thou to me?” 
To this Jesus answered “Suffer it to be so now: 
for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. 


44 CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 

Here again are words over which to ponder. 
Jesus at that time undoubtedly was aware of his 
Messiahship and of his authority over all men. 
Yet he did not say “I have need to be baptised 
of thee” nor “Thou hast no need to be baptized 
of me”, but he said “Suffer it to be so now: for 
thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.” 
How very evident it is by these words that Jesus 
recognized in John a brother, that they were both 
children of God and that it became them as such 
to fulfill all righteouness; it became them by ex¬ 
ample to show that none could be too exalted to 
be sincerely penitent and cleansed. His words 
clearly express that every one, without exception, 
should fulfill every requirement to which God’s 
will might seem to point. He stood ready to do 
his part. When John expressed his belief that 
Jesus was sinless and needed no baptismal cleans¬ 
ing, Jesus made no denial but ordained that He 
be baptised. Neither did he deny that John should 
be baptised of Him. His words “for thus it 
becometh us to fulfill all righteouness” were un¬ 
doubtedly intended not only to include Himself 
and John, but to be general and to include all 
persons. It should be recognized therefore that 
in these words there is a direct intimation that 
Jesus regarded all persons as his brothers and sis- 


SERVICE AND THOUGHT 


45 


ters and as God’s children. This recognition is 
fully corroborated later in his ministry. 

By the example of his conscientious desire to 
fulfill God’s requirements, even though His purity 
of character rightfully exempted him from personal 
submission to the ritual, Jesus has given us a most 
important lesson. We are distinctly shown that 
none of us can be too high and exalted to take 
part in and share with others, any work designed 
for the welfare of mankind. John’s effort was 
directed to help prepare his fellow man for greater 
lessons that were to come. He was unselfish 
and worked only with a view to the good others 
would derive and for no self gain whatsoever. He 
truly was the predicted herald of the Lord. When 
his hearers believed him to be the Messiah and in¬ 
quiringly made their thoughts known to John, he 
refused to be thus exalted and proclaimed that 
one was to come, mightier than himself. 

What a lovely example of sense of duty we see 
in John who so unselfishly handed over to Jesus 
the work the former had so earnestly begun. Such 
an example is indeed inspiring and stirs one to 
guide oneself to a more unselfish life, to keep be¬ 
fore one that which should be done for others, 
and to forget one’s self. 

If you will analyze the place each individual 


46 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


holds in our present day social system, you will 
quickly recognize that it is one of Service. The 
wheels of civilization cannot revolve without ser¬ 
vice of some kind being meshed in all of its gears. 
The farmer tills the soil; the miner mines the coal 
or iron, the factory hand makes things of utility, 
the railroad man furnishes transportation, and so 
on in an almost endless list we find that every per¬ 
son with an occupation is doing something for 
others. The actor, musician, banker, capitalist, 
doctor, teacher and preacher are each in the ser¬ 
vice of others. The tag of service is tied to each 
and every normal person. Service and the human 
family go hand in hand, the two cannot be 
separated. As service improves, so does our 
civilization improve, one cannot step ahead of 
the other; they must keep pace with each other. 
Primitive man lived in very small groups, and ser¬ 
vice then did not extend beyond the members 
of a small group or family and even to that limited 
extent, service was begrudgingly rendered. Grad¬ 
ually the light of truth dawned upon man and he 
grew to learn that by exchanging his labors and 
efforts with those of others, he gained for him¬ 
self greater security, greater comforts, greater free¬ 
dom and more leisure. He may not have recogniz¬ 
ed that exchanging the fruits of labor with others 


SERVICE AND THOUGHT 


47 


took the form of service rendered for others, for 
selfishness was the prime mover of service in 
primitive days. Even with ourselves, as far ad¬ 
vanced in the development of service as we are, 
with our huge industrial plants, merchandising me¬ 
diums and exchanges, co-operative societies, institu¬ 
tions of all kinds, and Churches, many of us have 
not entirely thrown off the primitive coat of sel¬ 
fishness and fully enveloped ourselves with the more 
beneficial one of service. 

Man is what he is because of service. In the 
lower strata of the animal world, we find service 
to be almost negligible. An insect or a fish will 
lay its eggs and assume no further responsibility in 
rearing that which it propagates. When an ex¬ 
ception to this exists, such as it does in the ant, we 
see in that particular species one more advanced 
in the system of organization (service) than the 
others that follow the more selfish course. The 
time required for an offspring to reach the age 
of independence, largely determines the degree of 
service of which the specie is capable. For in¬ 
stance, the offspring of man takes much longer to 
reach maturity than that of any animal and there¬ 
fore the parents are inherently compelled to a 
relatively extended service to their children. This 
is the very foundation of the human family and 


48 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


is the fundamental gift that has made it acquire 
the complex economic system of the times in which 
we live. 

Ponder carefully over the meaning of Service. 
Be sure that you are fully imbued with the under¬ 
standing that maximum harmony and happiness 
cannot be attained until unselfish service ramifies 
to all human beings on earth. Understand that to 
gain its fullest benefits, Service must be rendered 
for Service’s sake and not for selfish motives. Un¬ 
derstand that when service is thus rendered, you 
will not need to look after your own welfare, and 
that your full recompense will converge to you 
automatically and unsought by you. Service ren¬ 
dered in this way is the best kind of service. It 
is through this spirit of service that we have gained 
our present state. Past generations gave a portion 
of their services for us and we must devote a 
portion of ours for the benefit of those to follow. 
Our soldiers made tremendous sacrifices that the 
World might be made safer to live in. Others 
have given of themselves unselfishly in many ways. 
It is because of this generosity and desire to do 
for others, that so many of us are able to enjoy 
the advantages of modern development. 

The system of service has become so much a 
part of our present existence, that we are com- 


SERVICE AND THOUGHT 


49 


pelled to give service whether we wish to or not. 
This is very fortunate indeed, and has done much 
in expediting our advance. Sometimes we under¬ 
take a service for selfish motives, or because we 
are compelled to by circumstances, but after awhile 
we become engrossed in our work and we per¬ 
form it for the sake of accomplishment and with 
little or no thought to selfish motives. Thus it 
is we unconsciously contribute our share of ser¬ 
vice in the right spirit; in the spirit that means 
advance; in the spirit that brings to ourselves well 
earned rewards; in the spirit that gives most to 
others. 

Since we cannot divorce ourselves from service, 
and since we recognize that it is through service 
and service alone, that we acquire all we have, 
and that it is when we give our best and most un¬ 
selfish service to others, that we individually reap 
the richest rewards, why not enlist wholeheartedly 
in Service? We have every reason to do so 
and no reason to lag behind. If you have been 
trailing, resolve to forget yourself and to work 
for others because you love to do so. This does 
not mean that you need to change your occupation, 
unless you are following one that portends of no 
good to any one, because opportunities for real 
service are to be found in our daily occupations. 


50 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


If these are performed in the spirit of benefit to 
others, you have fitted into the system of service 
in the proper manner. You need not let your 
efforts in that direction end there, for even during 
your recreation periods, there are frequent op¬ 
portunities to be helpful to others with added 
pleasure to yourself. 

In the story of baptism in the River Jordan, we 
find in John an inspiring example of one devoted 
to unselfish service and by Jesus we are taught 
that none can be too exalted to take part in those 
affairs that pertain to the supreme architect—ser¬ 
vice to God’s children. 

Soon after his baptism Jesus, filled with over¬ 
powering emotions, sought retirement in the Wil¬ 
derness to be alone with God and to think over 
the great work before him. There he remained 
“with the wild beasts” and “when he had fasted 
forty days and forty nights” the “tempter came to 
him” and said “If thou be the Son of God, com¬ 
mand that these stones be made bread.” But he 
answered, “It is written ‘man shall not live by 
bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth 
out of the mouth of God*.” Upon further being 
tempted, Jesus answered: “it is written again, ‘Thou 
shalt not tempt the Lord thy God* **. Again he 
was tempted and the reply was “Get thee hence. 


SERVICE AND THOUGHT 51 

Satan: for it is written ‘Thou shalt worship the 
Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve* 
Following this “Jesus returned in the power of 
the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame 
of him through all the region round about. And 
he taught in their synagogues being glorified of 
all.*’ 

The period of our Lord’s retirement was suf¬ 
ficiently long to have brought about suffering and 
exhaustion, and to the ordinary man, a spiritless 
resignation in which he easily becomes the victim 
of insidious allurement. This whole period must 
have been one of moral and spiritual tension and 
one in which a fuller realization of His earthly 
mission took form. He had much to think about, 
much that demanded prayer and communion with 
God. He was sustained in his extreme physical 
need by the complete faith he had in his Father 
and in his own relationship to Him. Temptation 
was as no temptation, no physical suffering or 
desire could rise above his interest in the duty it 
became him to perform. 

Jesus knew he had the power to provide him¬ 
self with food but had no desire to do so until 
he believed himself fitted to enlist completely in 
the service of his Father. Thus we are shown 
that when man gains a sincerity of purpose nothing 


52 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


can bribe him to depart from the course set by his 
conscience. What was true in this instance with 
respect to Jesus, is true for every man. Every act 
and word of our Lord is for the benefit of all 
human beings; every part of his life teaches some¬ 
thing and if one will take pains to understand the 
full meaning of the important events and words 
handed down to us from Him, he will have gained 
a knowledge and control of his life that will place 
him high above his fellowmen who have less un¬ 
derstanding. 

Forty days and forty nights in the Wilderness! 
Why should Jesus seek this solitude? Because 
he could not commune with his Father and pre¬ 
pare himself for his great work except in solitude. 
No man has become great unless he has had op¬ 
portunities to entertain his own thoughts. The 
young men who spend their leisure moments on 
street corners, in pool rooms, at the moving picture 
houses, or with other frivolities, never amount to 
anything; neither do those young women who are 
similarly negligent in the manner in which their 
spare time is used. Ask any person of consequence 
you happen to meet how he or she spent his or 
her spare time during the formative period of 
their lives and you will invariably find that a 
substantial part of the spare time was spent in 


SERVICE AND THOUGHT 


53 


study and in thought, and that little or no time 
was spent in frivolous pastime. It is not intended 
in any way to infer that wholesome recreation is 
frivolity, on the contrary, it is necessary for health 
and maximum development, to have a certain 
amount of recreation. Abraham Lincoln owed 
his greatness to the opportunities he had to be 
alone, to study and to think his own thoughts dur¬ 
ing those growing years when many young men 
idle their time away. 

You cannot expect to hear the full dictates of 
conscience unless you can be quiet and away from 
distractions. You cannot develop thoughts that 
will lead you into the bigger channels of life 
unless you think. Thought is the creator of all 
things. There is nothing that man possesses to¬ 
day which has not first taken form in the mind. 
All great undertakings have had their birth in 
solitude, regardless of any seeming evidence some 
cases may present to the contrary. If you desire 
to do more important things than it has been your 
habit to do, seek to be by yourself occasionally 
where you can remain in silence. You will find 
that you can in that way become conscious of 
the presence of God, when you are not so well 
able to do so under other circumstances. By 
practicing a little mental discipline during those 


54 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


communions, you will gradually eradicate promis¬ 
cuous ill-related thoughts and substitute orderly 
trains of thought that will ultimately take material 
form during those periods when you are in active 
contact with the physical world. 

Men of integrity are usually men who are ac¬ 
customed to having occasional periods alone. Men 
whose waking hours are a continuous hurly-burly, 
are usually lax in their morals for they never give 
their spiritual impulses or consciences an opportun¬ 
ity to guide them, and such persons find as their 
sphere of life the lower strata in our social system. 

The subject of silent thought is a very im¬ 
portant one to consider and must not be passed 
over lightly. Unless you understand the great 
value of meditation, you will be handicapped in 
grasping the lessons handed down to us by our 
great Teacher. The forty days and forty nights 
spent in the Wilderness in communion with God 
better fitted Him for the great work he had to 
do. The long fast was only incidental and con¬ 
tributed to uninterrupted concentration, besides 
giving to us an example of the futility of tempta¬ 
tion held out to one in whom conscience finds 
response. The record of the sojourn in the 
Wilderness has been handed down to us for a 
purpose. Then let us heed it by trying to find a 


SERVICE AND THOUGHT 


55 


few moments alone each day, or if that is not 
practicable, to once in awhile, shut out the dis¬ 
tractions which surround us, and give our minds 
up to our own inward thoughts. 


YOU ARE INVITED AND COM¬ 
MANDED. 


Immediately after Jesus’ return from the Wil¬ 
derness, John the Baptist boldly testified that 
Jesus was the Redeemer of the world. Two of 
John the Baptist’s followers, Andrew and John, 
called disciples, were so impressed that they fol¬ 
lowed Jesus, who turned and asked them: “What 
seek ye?” In their embarrassment they answered 
“Rabbi, where dwellest thou?” and Jesus an¬ 
swered “Come and see.” Andrew, filled with 
wonder, sought his brother Simon and said: “We 
have found the Messiah,” and brought him to 
Jesus who called him “Cephas”, the Aramaic 
equivalent of the English name “Peter”, mean¬ 
ing “a stone.” 

The little band then set out for Galilee and 
on the way met a man named Philip. Jesus bid 
him “Follow me.” Philip, finding his friend 
Nathanael, told him that they had found in 
Jesus of Nazareth, He of whom Moses and the 
prophets had written. Incredulously Nathanael 
exclaimed “Can there any good thing come out 
of Nazareth?” Philip thereupon repeated Christ’s 
56 


YOU ARE INVITED AND COMMANDED 57 

words to Andrew and John—“Come and see.” 
When Jesus beheld Nathanael He said: “Be¬ 
hold an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile.” 
Surprised that Jesus read his mind, Nathanael 
exclaimed: “Whence knowest thou me?” And 
Jesus showing still keener powers of penetration 
replied: “Before that Philip called thee, when 
thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.” This 
convinced Nathanael who replied: “Rabbi, thou 
art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.” 
The Lord then said “Verily, verily, I say unto 
you. Hereafter ye shall see Heaven open, and 
the angels of God ascending and descending 
upon the Son of Man.” 

In the above we are given an invitation and 
a command in two very short sentences uttered 
at the very beginning of the Lord’s ministry— 
“Come and see” and “Follow me.” While 
these sentences were addressed, the first to An¬ 
drew and John, and the second to Philip, the 
words were figurative and intended, as were all 
of Jesus’ words, for all mankind. They were 
addressed to you and me, just as surely as they 
were addressed to Andrew, John and Philip. 
The invitation is for us and it behooves us to 
seek where the Christ dwelleth. Jesus taught us 
that he was the Son of God, that God was in 


58 CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 

him and he in God. He also taught us that we 
too are God’s children and that we would be 
able to do greater things than He (Jesus). This 
can only mean that the Christ in Jesus is also 
in each of God’s children. We are each en¬ 
dowed with a glorious connection or entity with 
our Creator, and it is within the volition of each 
and every one of us to be responsive to His 
guidance. 

“Come and see”! Are you prepared to accept 
the invitation? You can safely answer affir¬ 
matively if you have learned to obey your con¬ 
science and to commune with God in silence. 
You will remember that these were the first im¬ 
portant fundamental lessons given to the world 
by Jesus. If you are thus prepared you can 
search yourself with understanding. You can 
wander over the domain of your inner self and 
discover that those things with which you for¬ 
merly credited yourself, are not of you, but of a 
power that pervades all. You will discover won¬ 
ders in what you had supposed to be the workings 
of your own mind. You will find that all of the 
mental impulses directing you to the lawful things 
of life which bring happiness and love to you 
and those around you, come seemingly from 
nowhere; that they do not result from cold rea- 


YOU ARE INVITED AND COMMANDED 59 

soiling; that they come upon you whether or not 
you seek them. You will find that these impulses 
for good are the same as those in others, who 
too have learned to relax and be responsive to 
the All Guiding Conscience. It is then that you 
will realize that Christ is in you; it is then you 
will realize what Jesus Christ means when he in¬ 
vites you to “Come and see” where he dwelleth; 
it is then that you will gain greater respect for 
the thoughts that come to you from seemingly in¬ 
tangible sources. For it is then that you will 
know that no credit is due yourself for those 
thoughts or even for your ability to think, but 
that it is the Supreme Father working in and 
through you. 

The command “Follow me” is necessary for 
those of us who hesitate when we are invited. 
When we have realized that the command is 
intended for all, those who have gained un¬ 
derstanding will wish to follow it. This may 
be done by studying closely the teachings of 
Jesus and guiding our lives so that they har¬ 
monize with the spiritual laws he has made 
known to us. 

The invitation and command were followed 
by a prediction: “Verily, verily, I say unto you. 
Hereafter ye shall see Heaven open, and the 


60 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


angels of God ascending and descending upon 
the Son of Man.” Who is the ‘‘Son of Man”? 
Some believe that Jesus applied this designation 
to himself; in fact this belief seems to be general. 
We know that Jesus was never boastful; and 
never took credit to himself for anything, but 
always gave credit to his Father and that he al¬ 
ways spoke figuratively and in parables. In this 
case, it is quite certain, to those who will give his 
words careful consideration, that he really did 
not mean himself as the ‘‘Son of Man,” except 
as he himself exemplified the understanding all 
men should have. He knew he was the only 
man who was not the son of a mortal man and 
therefore in the words just quoted he did not 
signal out himself as the one to receive special 
preference of God. With his meekness and self- 
effacement it was not possible for him to thus 
glorify himself. This designation ‘‘Son of Man” 
recurs many times in Christ’s teachings and while 
it may specifically appear as though he applied 
it to himself, it is also quite certain, from the 
point of view taken in these pages, that its ap¬ 
plication is intended to include all human souls 
with himself. His lessons could be given to man¬ 
kind only through his example in the flesh and 
blood; any other manner would have borne the 


YOU ARE INVITED AND COMMANDED 61 

aspect of the supernatural and would have failed 
to convey to us any realization of our full po¬ 
tentialities. As it is, we have been slow to grasp 
the meaning of our Lord’s ministry and it is only 
now that it is beginning to dawn on the members 
of the human family in a manner that assures 
widespread individual belief in, and understanding 
of the truth, instead of as it has been understood 
heretofore by the majority of Christian adherents 
who have entertained but a vague idea that Jesus 
had lived and died to save them, and who were 
satisfied to participate in the rituals, the mean¬ 
ings of which were also but vaguely understood. 

Jesus* words “Verily, verily, I say unto you. 
Hereafter ye shall see Heaven open, and the 
angels of God ascending and descending upon 
the Son of Man” could not have been intended 
for Nathanael’s ears alone, or only for the small 
group surrounding Him at the moment, but must 
have been for all men, for all generations to 
follow. The fact that we have them before us 
now is proof alone that this is so. These words 
are addressed to us who live today, just as truly 
as they were addressed to those who came before 
us and who are to follow. The last three words 
were intended not only to designate Jesus in his 
life as man, but to designate each and every one 


62 CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 

of God’s children. This designation applies to 
you and to me. We must therefore stop to realize 
that it is within our individual power to see “the 
angels of God ascending and descending upon 
us.** The time has arrived for all to be so en¬ 
lightened that each individual may see at will 
the angels of God ascending and descending 
upon him. The power to do this is not extra¬ 
ordinary but is simply to be derived from a clear 
understanding of the law of life, of spiritual law, 
the elements of which have already been men¬ 
tioned. 

We have noted the significance of prayer, or 
communion with the Father; of unselfish service 
to others, and of obedience to one’s conscience. 
We have noted the significance of the invitation 
to “Come and see’* where the Christ dwelleth. 

When the full import of these become evident to 

our minds we will understand their governing 

value and we will then realize that our con¬ 

science is the window through which we see the 
angels of God descending upon us. We will then 
be obedient to God’s will. 

Christ’s words were a prophecy. He distinct¬ 
ly said, “Hereafter,** meaning some future period 
when man’s clarity of vision in spiritual matters 
had become sufficient for him to recognize the 


YOU ARE INVITED AND COMMANDED 63 

work of God, and to see with the same clear 
vision as Jesus himself did, the avenues of direct 
communication with our governing Father. 

Nearly two thousand years have elapsed since 
Jesus* words to Nathanael were uttered and 
since that time the human family has been steadi¬ 
ly gaining in spiritual understanding. It is true 
that progress has been in waves and that there 
have been periods when advance has seemingly 
been retarded, but nevertheless, when we look 
back over the intervening years we must acknowl¬ 
edge that a very marked stride has been made. 
It is true that there have been many devout 
people in the past, but in general, this devotion 
has been accompanied with superstition and some¬ 
times with bigotism and even fanaticism and 
ignorance. Today, with the broader facilities for 
education, and the advances in physical science, 
we are much less likely to be swayed by un¬ 
controllable emotions; instead we seek scientific 
explanations for all causes and effects. Our 
recognition of God is not, generally, accompanied 
by superstition and fear but is due to our realiza¬ 
tion that we are governed by a Superior Power, 
a power that operates as a law, which, if violated, 
introduces inharmonies in our lives. 

We have reached the stage of mental advance- 


64 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


ment where we are no longer satisfied to believe 
that Jesus Christ’s life and words are so important 
to humanity, without knowing the reason why. 
Generally, our search in this connection is keener 
today than it has ever been before; and it is be¬ 
cause of our present day enlightenment, coupled 
with the desire to obtain the full meaning of The 
Lord’s teachings, that the existing rapid expansion 
of true sincere-hearted Christians, is taking place. 
It is because of this that we see here and there, 
and daily becoming more numerous, practical and 
successful men and women who are pursuing, with 
no outward display of religion, useful lives, lives 
in which kindness, helpfulness and uplifting in¬ 
fluence toward their fellowmen, are always mingled 
with their daily occupations. In these people are 
to be found noble hearts in communion with their 
Creator. They have learned to know what their 
consciences really are and to respect their every 
whisper. They are people who are not ashamed 
to acknowledge to others, their respect for and 
obedience to God’s laws, yet they are not boastful 
of the knowledge that the Divine Power is working 
through them. They have accepted the invitation to 
“Come and see’’ and now set us an example well 
worth following. It is through their influence that we 
also gain ambition to acquire better understanding. 


THE INFLUENCE OF OBEDIENCE. 


Soon after His arrival in Galilee, Jesus and his 
little company of disciples were present at a mar¬ 
riage party where the Mother of Jesus was also 
present and manifested personal responsibility in 
the matter of providing for the guests at the feast. 
Upon Mary telling Jesus that the supply of wine 
was exhausted. He said: “Woman, what have I 
to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come.** 
Thereupon Mary said to the servants: “What¬ 
soever he saith unto you, do it.’* There were six 
stone water-pots, and Jesus said to the servants: 
“Fill the water-pots with water.** And when they 
were filled to the brim He said: “Draw out now, 
and bear unto the governor of the feast.** When 
the master of ceremonies tasted the liquid it was 
wine. The transformation was deemed a miracle. 

While the noun of address, “Woman,** may 
seem unnatural under the present custom, it was 
in the days of which we speak, expressive of res¬ 
pect and affection. The words following were in¬ 
terrogatory and mingled with doubt as to His 
preparedness to act. He desired to know what 
he and his Mother, should do, and at the same 
65 


66 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


time make known to her that he had not yet proven 
his full powers. Evidently Mary knew her Son 
well and had observed his growing capabilities right 
up to the time that he left her to begin his ministry, 
for her confidence seemed complete when she in¬ 
structed the servants “Whatsoever he saith unto 
you, do it.” She knew that Jesus would not fail 
her at such a critical moment, for custom deemed 
the lack of wine on those occasions a very serious 
breach of hospitality. She knew from experience 
that her obedient son would, in some way, find 
means of complying with her request. 

In the foregoing we are taught that obedience 
to those in whom we have reason to respect, dev¬ 
elops, brings forward, and makes known our latent 
capabilities. Jesus believed his hour had not yet 
come and probably felt that he should not test his 
powers for such a trivial purpose, but his Mother’s 
wishes were so unmistakably expressed that he re¬ 
garded it a duty to obey them. In this obedience 
he not only removed any doubt which may have 
existed in his mind as to his power, but he manifest¬ 
ed to those present, his glory, and his disciples were 
given greater faith in their leader. Thus we see 
the great stride made through obedience. We 
should benefit by this example. Every one should 
remember that obedience to duty is a great dev- 


THE INFLUENCE OF OBEDIENCE 


67 


eloper. Continued obedience may be likened to 
climbing the stairs of progress. Remember! When 
duty beckons, you can only gain by answering it. 
If you seemingly gain in no other way, you will 
at least be upbuilding your character and thus 
preparing yourself for greater work. 

“We need only obey. There is guidance 
for each of us, and by slowly listening we 
shall hear the right word.”— Emerson. 


THE MIGHT OF RIGHT. 


It was shortly after the marriage festivities that 
Jesus, accompanied by his disciples and his Mother, 
went to Jerusalem for the annual Passover. That 
is the first recorded mention of his attendance at 
the paschal festival since the visit at the age of 
twelve. It is quite likely that other visits had been 
made, but there is no record of them: not having 
reached the age of thirty until this visit, he would 
not have been accorded the privilege of a teacher 
without contravening established customs. No 
doubt he felt the necessity of attending to his 
“Father’s business’* whenever he may have been 
present at the festival, and that he learned much 
on those occasions, and awaited anxiously for the 
time when he would reach the age that would 
permit him to authoritatively assume the role of 
teacher. 

In attempting to carry out the law of Moses, a 
system of sale and barter within the precincts of 
the Holy Temple became the custom and during 
the festival period, the outer courts became crowded 
with stalls of oxen and sheep, cages of doves and 
pigeons. The sacrificial fitness of these poor 
68 


THE MIGHT OF RIGHT 


69 


dumb creatures was cried aloud by their vendors. 
Added to this turmoil, was the chatter of the 
money changers who plied a thriving trade. 

No doubt Jesus had long been impatient at such 
avaricious and irreverent behavior and upon this 
visit could not longer withhold his indignation when 
again confronted with the violation of the Sanctity 
of his Father’s house. The barterers were so cor¬ 
rupt and callous that nothing but force could 
move them. With righteous indignation and whip 
in hand he drove out the traffickers, upsetting the 
exchangers* tables and crying loudly to all the 
greedy traders: “Take these things hence; make 
not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.*’ 
Whereupon his authority was challenged and the 
priestly officials and rulers of the people asked 
him: “What sign showest thou unto us, seeing thou 
doest these things?*’ Jesus answered: “Destroy 
this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.*’ 
He meant the temple of His body, but was not 
understood by his hearers who retorted: “Forty 
and six years was this temple in building, and wilt 
thou rear it in three days?** 

The ejection of all merchandising and trading 
from the Temple precincts, is evidence of Jesus’ 
authority. The greedy chafferers, although in 
large numbers, offered no resistance to Jesus, who 


70 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


single-handed, expelled them. They merely con¬ 
tented themselves by muttering maledictions, their 
guilty consciences disarmed them so that they could 
not resist the onslaught of righteousness. Jesus, 
fully recognizing the infidelity and avariciousness 
of these groveling traders, and the justice of his 
own indignation, became conscious of the irresistible 
power which God gave him and did not hesitate 
to apply himself to a task that would have seemed 
unsurmountable to any other single man. 

The dictum, “Might is Right,” pronounced by 
some German leaders during the World War, is 
proven in the clearing of the Temple to have no 
place in the affairs of man. The Jewish mer¬ 
chandizes were carrying on their nefarious traf¬ 
fic under the sanction of the priests, and through 
that source, were given “might” on their side; 
still they could not resist the onslaught of Jesus. 
Jesus was impelled by the cause of Right and 
therefore none could resist him. The Allies de¬ 
nied the correctness of the German claim and held 
that its antithesis “Right is Might” alone fitted in 
God’s law. It was faith in this principle that 
enabled them to endure so many discouragements 
until Right prevailed. 

We are given in the clearing of the Temple, a 
very definite example that Right is Might; that 


THE MIGHT OF RIGHT 


71 


where one is right one need have no fear, and 
that one possesses the full authority of God to 
right a wrong. Every one should become fully 
conscious of the infallibility of this principle. It 
is a law and should always be accorded a luminous 
place in our minds, in order that we may always 
be alert to place ourselves on the right side at all 
times. 

Sin is weakness. If any person does not obey 
the Supreme law, that person lacks moral strength. 
The same weakness that leads to trespassing into 
inharmonious fields, disarms one when in the 
presence of right. If a person is guilty of wrong 
doing and is confronted with the fact, what an 
unhappy feeling of shame he inwardly experiences, 
regardless of any outward appearance of non¬ 
chalance he may assume. Self-respect drops and 
if a person is very recreant, he may seek to justify 
his actions and thoughts by conjuring up or re¬ 
membering grievances, or what he may assume to 
be injustices, committed against him. No matter 
how he may excuse himself, he will be unable to 
smother his consciousness of his own short-comings. 
On the other hand, what a delightful feeling it is 
to know that one is right, that one has dealt fairly 
with the other fellow. With what buoyancy and 
strength one can face the world when there is a 


72 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


clean record in our conscience. When we are 
so fortunately situated, our strength is indomitable. 
It is then that men and women are strong and 
are able to command respect, admiration and love 
from all. 

The clearing of the Temple is an extremely im¬ 
portant lesson for all to heed, because of the 
demonstration of the unmistakable and extraordin¬ 
ary power of Right. The traders were in large 
numbers and not only were carrying on their 
sacrilegious traffic with the consent of the priests 
or rulers of the Temple, but through custom of 
years, felt that it was their inherent right to do so. 
On the other hand, Jesus was given no authority 
from the priests and received the sanction of no 
man to remedy this great wrong that no one but 
he recognized. He was conscious of the fact that 
his Father’s house was being desecrated and that 
unless he acted to remedy thia wrong it would be 
equivalent to giving it his tacit consent. Right, 
being with him, he was able to drive out single- 
handed, hundreds of avaricious sinners who were 
unable to resist his manly onslaught because of 
their guilty consciences. 

The lesson is direct and comes to us without 
any disguise. It should compel every thinking 
man and woman to choose the side of right and 


THE MIGHT OF RIGHT 


73 


to rely upon their consciences to guide them in 
that choice. If, by any misguidance, you have 
deviated from the path of power and happiness, 
this is the time for you to set out to correct your 
weakness while your attention is upon the subject. 
First be sure that you are so fully impressed with 
the real meaning of the clearing of the Temple, 
that it will always come to your memory when 
you have need of its example. Courage, you 
undoubtedly desire to have. It is yours without 
limit and without any artificial stimulation if you 
go hand in hand with right, both as to your ac¬ 
tions and thought. Right is authority. 

When Jesus was asked to give proof of his 
authority, his answer: “Destroy this temple, and 
in three days I will raise it up,” bears much 
significance as uttered under the circumstances. 
By “this temple” he referred to his own body, and 
when he said: “I will raise it up” it is evident 
that he recognized in himself a personality separate 
and apart from his earthly body. In referring to 
his body as the “temple,” he likened it to his 
Father’s house, a place wherein God and he were 
present. This becomes quite clear when in his 
later ministry, Jesus states that God is in him. 
From a spiritual point of view, the presence of 
God in the temple body or the temple building, 


74 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


means much the same thing, for we know that 
God is everywhere. 

Jesus could undoubtedly have given to his ques¬ 
tioners proof of his authority, that would have been 
most satisfying had he wished to do so. The 
proof which he did give was not to be understood 
until later. It was a deferred proof. However, 
his answer accomplishes also another purpose. It 
points to the manner in which we should regard 
our own bodies. If God is everywhere, then God 
is in each and every one of us. There can be no 
doubt about this. The Holy Temple should not 
harbor dishonest, selfish traffickers who have no 
thought except personal gain and who have no res¬ 
pect for its precincts. The Holy Temple should be 
cleared of those who have lost all sense of lawful 
understanding to make room for those who are in 
communion with God. Likewise the temple of body 
should be cleared of all evil, in order that it may 
harbor only that which is good. To think evil is 
to do evil. To think right is to do right. If you 
find yourself entertaining evil thoughts, you should 
at once drive them out of your mind for they are 
defiling the place where you commune with God. 
Follow the example shown you by our great 
Teacher and bravely drive out all ill trespassers. 
Put your house in order and do and think only 
that which is right. 


SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING. 

The wonderful deeds wrought by Christ at the 
memorable Passover led many people to believe 
in him and from among these a Pharisee and a 
ruler, named Nicodemus, came to him and said: 
“Rabbi we know that thou art a teacher come 
from God: for no man can do these miracles that 
thou doest, except God be with him.” Jesus an¬ 
swered: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a 
man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom 
of God.” Upon Nicodemus inquiring how man 
could be born a second time, Jesus replied: “Veri¬ 
ly, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born 
of water and spirit, he cannot enter into the King¬ 
dom of God. That which is born of flesh is 
flesh; and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. 
Marvel not that I said unto thee. Ye must be born 
again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and 
thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell 
whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: So is every 
one that is born of the spirit.” Nicodemus still 
confused asked, “How can these things be?” And 
Jesus said in part: “Art thou a master of Israel, 
and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say 
75 


76 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


unto thee. We speak that we do not know, and 
testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our 
witness. If I have told you earthly things and 
ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you 
of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended 
up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, 
even the Son of man which is in heaven. * * *” 

In the foregoing discourse we are shown that 
some of the fundamental principles of the gospel 
should have been known to Nicodemus. He 
evidently could not understand how man could 
be born a second time. He could only think in 
physical terms and had not gathered an understand¬ 
ing of spiritual things. To speak of them does 
not necessarily mean that they are understood. 
A spiritual understanding can only be obtained 
by patient and faithful attention to the promptings 
of one’s conscience. It comes gradually and we 
do not know just when we enter the new atmos¬ 
phere. It is when one has achieved the spiritual 
understanding that one is born again. It is to 
this transition that Jesus referred. A man “can¬ 
not see the Kingdom of God’’ unless he under¬ 
stands the meaning of God; unless he knows and 
feels that God is present everywhere; unless he 
knows that God guides him through his conscience; 
unless he knows that his fellow men too are guided 


SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING 


77 


by God through their consciences; unless he knows 
that God’s law cannot be violated without creating 
inharmonies; and, as Jesus said, unless he is born 
again. 

To be aware of God is to have been born a 
second time. When we are born in the flesh and 
blood we have little understanding and possess 
rudimentary instincts only. As we grow, there is 
a development of the intellect. It is during our 
growing period that the intellect is most susceptible 
to development, and if opportunity is right, spiritual 
understanding may be attained early but if not, 
it may only come tardily or perhaps not at all. 
When the habit is formed of thinking in material 
terms only, and to the exclusion of spiritual faith, 
it is not easily changed. It is then that much 
concentration will be required, and perhaps many 
disappointments and set-backs may be suffered be¬ 
fore one is safely on his journey. To teach chil¬ 
dren to believe in God, is to give them a good 
start in spiritual understanding. However, it is 
net sufficient that a child know its prayers and 
utter the name of God, but it must understand 
clearly the omnipotence, omnipresence and omni¬ 
science of God. When it fully realizes this univer¬ 
sality and feels the guidance of God, then that 
child has received spiritual birth and is prepared 


78 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


to undertake a perfect career. Always remember 
that Jesus tells us: “The Kingdom of God is 
within you.” 

Unfortunately there are not many of us that 
have been “born again.” With few exceptions, 
the understanding gained when we were children, 
was only partial and not convincing in the sense 
that the knowledge of spiritual law becomes as sec¬ 
ond nature. More frequently we travel well along 
the mile posts of experience before the truth dawns 
upon us, and after habits of material living have 
been well ingrained, we much more slowly ac¬ 
custom ourselves to the belief of a Divine Power 
surrounding our lives, than we would have been 
able to do had we realized the truth at an earlier 
age. But it is never too late to improve, so one 
should not wait another day, for to do so, makes 
our objective all the harder to attain. 

Remember! Each and every person should de¬ 
sire to be “born again.” The desire should never 
be allowed to wane. It will not when you are 
convinced of the omnipresence of God. When 
this truth is clearly and fully realized, you will 
rely upon the guidance of your Creator, listen to 
his dictates through your own conscience and will 
trust the latter as an unfailing guide. The mystery 
of God will be dispersed. God will no longer 


SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING 


79 


seem an elusive power that cannot be met face to 
face until after we have departed from this mortal 
world. You will know that you are in contact 
with the one you revere; that your conscience is 
the doorway through which he makes himself 
known to you and through which he guides you 
in the true paths of life. You will then respect 
your conscience as you have never done before, 
because of the knowledge that it is not you that 
is speaking to yourself through this channel, but 
instead that it is the great Father of man who 
does so. 

When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, He showed 
how well he understood the state in which it was 
necessary to be, for responsive contact with our 
Father. Nicodemus* questions give us an idea 
of how really difficult it was for the people of 
those days, even for the most enlightened, to grasp 
the understanding of direct spiritual contact with 
God. This difficulty continues today but is being 
overcome steadily for there are evidences every¬ 
where which are very promising. 

Every one living today has the facilities at hand 
for acquiring an understanding that will start him 
well on the road to spiritual enlightenment. The 
first requisite is to give the subject thought; then 
give all you hear and read on the subject, respect- 


80 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


ful consideration. Periods of undisturbed medita¬ 
tion will help greatly. Doubt as to the truth 
that lies within you, must be completely removed. 
If you cannot believe yourself, who else then can 
you believe. There is no spiritual quality pos¬ 
sessed by another that is not yours also if you will 
simply accept your natural gift. 

When shortly after His discourse with Nico- 
demus, Jesus returned to his home village, Na¬ 
zareth, and went into the Synagogue on Sunday 
to preach, he read from the book of Esaias: “The 
spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath 
anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; 
he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted; to 
preach deliverance to the captives; and recovering 
the sight to the blind; to set at liberty them that 
are bruised; to preach the acceptable year of the 
Lord.” After closing the book, Jesus said to 
the congregation: “This day is this scripture ful¬ 
filled in your ears.” His hearers, recognizing in 
him the son of Joseph, with whom they were 
familiar, doubted Jesus* authority for this utter¬ 
ance, whereupon Jesus, among other things, said: 
“No prophet is accepted in his own country.” It 
is this characteristic of the human family to be 
slow in recognizing qualities possessed by those 
with whom we are most intimately acquainted, that 


SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING 


81 


hinders us in understanding that we individually 
possess qualities equal to those we may believe are 
for the most favored only. We fail to see that 
God can reach each and every one of us through 
channels that are in a sense intangible. We deny 
our own inheritance and shut out the guiding 
power that is seeking to direct our actions, simply 
because we are unable to learn from whence it 
comes to us. It is this to which Jesus alluded 
when he said to Nicodemus: “Marvel not that I 
said unto thee, ye must be born again. The wind 
bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the 
sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, 
and whither it goeth: So is every one that is born 
of the spirit.” You cannot tell from whence your 
conscience comes or whither it will lead you and 
quite likely you have preferred to govern your¬ 
self than to be governed from above, and you 
have formed egoistic opinions. It is through such 
errors that persons develop vanity, undue self-es¬ 
teem, selfishness and all the other evils of egoism. 
When one recognizes oneself as a part of a greater 
entity and realizes that obedience to the latter, is 
essential if harmony is to be attained, then one 
is on the direct road to be “born of the spirit.” 

In the great advancement that is in progress, do 
not allow yourself to trail behind, simply because 


82 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


you are unable to have explained to you in physical 
terms, the exact nature of the channels that give 
you contact with the spiritual realms. If you in¬ 
sist upon an exact formula expressed in physical 
terms, you insist upon a very difficult path and 
the likelihood of your remaining unenlightened is 
very great. A surer and quicker way is to ob¬ 
serve the workings of your own mentality until 
you grow to marvel at the wonderful gift with 
which you are endowed. One is able to gain 
keen appreciation of this only by extended watch¬ 
fulness, for there are so many ways in which the 
mind brings influence to bear on your government. 
Occasional haphazard study in this connection is 
not sufficient, for some of the most important signs 
of your connection with a greater governing power 
may escape notice. Observe particularly your 
conscience and you will notice that it is always 
true and never operates contrary to the laws of 
right. You may sometimes have inclination to be 
unmindful of it and to seek paths which it does 
not advise, because, through error, you may be¬ 
lieve that you are in control of yourself or propose 
to assume command. When you give way to such 
inclinations you will notice, as already pointed out 
in these pages, that inharmonies will crop into your 
life. You may not be able to trace from what 


SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING 83 

cause they arise, and it is quite possible that you 
will make no attempt to do so but simply take 
it for granted that these inharmonies are natural 
aggravations to be encountered, and that it is for 
you to pitch your wits against them. It is then 
that one’s ego becomes so pronounced that one’s 
conscience can no longer be heard. If, on the 
other hand, you consistently obey your conscience, 
and analytically observe the results, you will be¬ 
come irretrievably convinced that that which you 
receive through your conscience is law and that it 
comes to you in a manner that you are unable to 
trace. There are no words, physical terms or 
similes that you can bring to your aid to prove 
that it originates in you or that it is simply due 
to your own cleverness. You must then acknowl¬ 
edge that this guiding law which operates through 
the mind and which we have been pleased to name 
“conscience” emanates from a greater power than 
your own. “The wind bloweth where it listeth, 
and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not 
tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth.” 

Observation of the working of one’s own mind 
and obedience to the guiding spirit, will do much 
to bring about conviction and understanding of 
the Truth; but some persons may not be able to 
gain proper headway by this means alone. Dif- 


84 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


ficulty may be experienced in recognizing mental 
processes and promptings, because of the habit of 
thinking in physical terms only and of believing 
only in tangible things. When such is the case, 
it may be of assistance to observe the workings of 
one’s own physical body which affords a wonder¬ 
ful example of co-ordinate control. To do this 
effectively, it is best to review the organization of 
which it is composed. Let us do so in the next 
chapter for it may give a clearer idea of the kind 
of observations to which I allude. 


LIFE CELLS AND THE MIND. 

Biology teaches us that the human body is a 
corporate one; that it is made up of incalculable 
numbers of small individual living cells, congregat¬ 
ed to form one large community and with each 
member working for the interest of the others. 
There are many species of these minute life cells. 
The units of some species assemble to form the 
flesh, those of others assemble to form the muscles, 
the arteries, the several organs, the blood, and 
various fluids. Large numbers of individual living 
cells are gathered together to form a complete 
muscle, an artery, a nerve, etc. Each cell is a 
distinct and separate animate being possessing in¬ 
dividuality, instinct, a desire to live, a desire to 
propagate and thereby an instinctive desire to per¬ 
petuate its own kind. This is true, no matter to 
which species a cell may belong. The cells dwel¬ 
ling in community to form any portion of the body, 
arrange themselves in close juxtaposition, and in 
most cases, cling to each other by adhesion. These 
various groups in turn assemble to form a larger 
group until the complete organization is formed 
85 


86 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


which we recognize as the human body. A vast 
congregation is therefore assembled to form each 
and every person. The individuals of these con¬ 
gregations exhibit a wonderful community of pur¬ 
pose, for, any movement of a muscle or organ, or 
of the entire body, is achieved only by concerted 
movement of the members. This is plainly evi¬ 
denced in the expansion and contraction of the 
muscles. Propagation is diligently attended to 
among all members by the process of cell division. 
As death overcomes the individual cells in the 
march of time their bodies are expelled or absorbed 
by the members of the community which still live. 
At all times all members work to maintain, not 
only their individual health, but also that of the 
entire community. Each individual does its share 
of work and each group contributes the function 
required of it. Each member which forms the 
walls and muscles of the heart, does its duty to¬ 
ward causing that community organ to throb and 
to force the blood to circulate throughout the sys¬ 
tem. Each and every member performs his task, 
for it is by concerted action only that the move¬ 
ments of the minute members are able to multiply 
into the important beating of the heart. The pur¬ 
pose of this effort is continued existence of the cor¬ 
porate being of which it forms a part. A cessa- 


LIFE CELLS AND THE MIND 


tion of concerted effort would cause death, not only 
to the larger corporation, but also to the local 
cummunity and its members. If life is to con¬ 
tinue, harmony of purpose and effort must obtain. 

We find the same examples in all the organs 
of the body. The component members of the 
bones, of the nerves, arterial walls, stomach, in¬ 
testines, kidneys, liver, lungs, brain, etc., etc., all 
do their part and do it faithfully. The members 
forming the blood are not less obligated or less 
faithful. As those small organisms are propelled 
through the circulating system by the constituents 
of the heart, they diligently carry food to, and 
waste matter from the non-mobile members form¬ 
ing the structure of the body. They go galivant- 
ing along, taking life much as they find it, and 
unconscious of the propelling force behind them. 
Nevertheless, there lies within each and every in¬ 
dividual of this vast army, a sense of brotherhood 
to be fulfilled. Unconscious of this as they may 
be, it still lies within them as an intuitive and 
potential guide. 

A very large proportion of the functioning of 
the body is involuntary, in fact all of the vital 
functions are. The purpose of some of these func¬ 
tions is known to us but there are many that are 
not understood and not discovered. The things 


88 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


which a person consciously does for the purpose 
of sustaining life, although they may seem to be 
many and complex, are absurdly insignificant by 
comparison with those which are performed by 
the component members of that person, and ap¬ 
parently entirely of their own volition. In fact 
one really has very little to do with the unified 
working of the multitudinous living members com¬ 
posing one’s person. These little fellows attend 
to that and also see to it that you, as an individual, 
do the small part that belongs to you to do. When 
nourishment is required, they see to it that you are 
made uncomfortable by a feeling of hunger and 
you then seek food. If you abuse any of the 
members, such as by wearing a tight shoe, the 
feeling of discomfort is intended to force you to 
relieve the strain. When a foreign substance be¬ 
comes lodged in your breathing passages, it will 
cause you to sneeze or cough and by that means, 
expel it. When rest is required you are made to 
feel sleepy and to seek repose. Even when you 
have entered slumberland, your trusty little mem¬ 
bers do not abandon their responsibilities but main¬ 
tain the life-sustaining functions in activity. They 
are ever constant and while you may neglect the 
care of yourself, they remain faithful to their com¬ 
munity. 


LIFE CELLS AND THE MIND 89 

If you have not done so already, from now on 
observe the functioning of your own body, bearing 
in mind all the while that it is through the be¬ 
havior of myriads of tiny little living things, each 
possessing individuality and instinct that you are 
permitted to live. It will not be long before you 
gain greater respect for your own body than you 
ever had before; you may even develop sympathy 
and consideration for the various members or 
groups. Above all, if you possess ego, that will 
vanish, for you will have recognized the marvelous 
workings of the members forming your body and 
how they have governed you in spite of yourself. 
You will even ponder over a still more significant 
thought, you will ask yourself what can be the 
unifying power which is able and does actually 
produce such concerted and harmonious working 
in such a complex organization as the body. With 
the loss of ego you will have made a great stride 
and with the better understanding of the workings 
of your body, you will be able to observe better 
the functioning of your mind. 

Remember, that the brief review we have just 
made of the body was for the purpose of helping 
any one who may find it difficult to observe his 
own mind. Once having grown to the realization 
that the myriads of tiny individual lives composing 


90 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


one’s body, work concertedly and are co-ordinated 
by some unseen and unfelt governing power; and 
having cultivated the habit of observing their 
actions, it will be easier to watch the mind. 

You may observe first that there is a connect¬ 
ing link between the various assemblies of life cells 
and the mind; that the former influence the latter 
and vice versa. You may notice that a state of 
hate or anger will affect adversely the harmonious 
working of your components, while a state of love 
or joy will be beneficial. You will notice that 
your mental activities are numerous and that they 
frequently follow various channels without direc¬ 
tion from you and perhaps in spite of you. When 
you supposedly are in command of the mental 
workings of your mind and are directing the chan¬ 
nels of thoughts, you will notice that you are 
unable to detect where your own thought begins 
and ends or what impels it. You may become 
greatly puzzled upon finding out that you are 
unable to analyze how much of you controls your 
mental peregrinations, or to what extent your com¬ 
ponent life cells bring their influence to bear upon 
them, or whether or not, and to what extent, some 
outside power controls your mental activities. This 
confusion may even cause you to doubt your in¬ 
dividuality, especially is this possible when you 


LIFE CELLS AND THE MIND 


91 


notice that any one thought or train of thoughts 
is induced from experiences that reach you from 
without and never originate from within the con¬ 
fines of what you may consider to be your own 
mental entity. It will then be but a step fur¬ 
ther to realize that no works of man can exist 
unless they have first taken form in the mind and 
therefore man made physical objects are the direct 
output of the mind. You may even begin to 
discern, perhaps vaguely at first, that all material 
things, whether they be man made or simply those 
that nature has furnished everywhere, are evident 
simply because of mental conception; that the life 
cells of your body, your mind, all external physical 
existences and phenomena, are unified by a su¬ 
preme guiding power. The marvels of intuition 
will become of greater interest than ever before 
and you will recognize therein the power of the 
mind to reach a correct answer to a problem at 
one stride instead of by successive steps, as is done 
when reason alone is resorted to. You may also 
recognize the fact that the usual mental training 
tends toward cultivating reason at the expense of 
intuition and that it would really be better if we 
were to develop sensitiveness of intuition as our 
primary objective and reason as an auxiliary 
thereto. 


92 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


Conscience has been much spoken of already. 
It is of course needless to mention that your at¬ 
tention will become centered on that supreme guide 
and that a fuller recognition of its true relation 
to yourself and your Creator will be gleaned. 


THE POWER OF FAITH. 

The mental workings of one’s mind cannot be 
studied without the significance of faith forcing 
itself into prominence. The tremendous potential¬ 
ity of faith may only be dimly perceived at first, 
but undoubtedly increasing respect for the effective¬ 
ness of this force, if I may so call it, is bound 
to take place in no small manner. Much has 
been written upon the power of faith. Also of 
the wonders achieved by those who possess it. 
The wonders of faith and its infallibility, have 
been long recognized. Jesus could not have per¬ 
formed the miracles which he performed, without 
it, and it is quite certain that he fully recognized 
that fact. We have repeated examples of this 
during his ministry. For instance: When Jesus 
was sent for, to save the life of a certain cen¬ 
turion’s servant, and upon nearing the house, the 
centurion sent friends to meet Jesus who said to 
him: “Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not 
worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof: 
whereupon neither thought I myself worthy to 
come unto thee: but say in a word, and my ser¬ 
vant shall be healed. For I also am a man set 
93 


94 CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 

under authority, having under me soldiers, and 
I say unto one. Go, and he goeth; and to another, 
Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this 
and he doeth it.” “When Jesus heard these 
things he marvelled at him, and turned him about, 
and said unto the people that followed him ‘I 
say unto you, I have not found so great faith, 
no, not in Israel.* And they that were sent, re¬ 
turning to the house, found the servant whole 
that had been sick.’* 

When crossing the Sea of Galilee, by night 
with his disciples, Jesus, much exhausted from 
preaching, lay asleep in the stern of the boat when 
a fierce storm arose. The danger was extreme 
and the boat was buried amid the foam of the 
breakers, yet He slept calmly on. The boat 
filled with water and the crew and His disciples 
became much alarmed and excitedly awoke Him 
crying: “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” 
“And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said 
unto the sea, ‘Peace, be still.* And the wind 
ceased, and there was a great calm. And he 
said unto them, ‘Why are ye so fearful? How 
is it that ye have no faith?’” 

While Jesus was on his way to the house of 
Jairus, great crowds were impeding his progress. 
In the throng was a woman who for twelve years 


THE POWER OF FAITH 


95 


had been afflicted with a serious ailment. She ap¬ 
proached Jesus from behind and touched his robe; 
“For, she said, ‘If I may touch but his clothes I 
shall be whole.’ ** She was immediately healed of 
her affliction. Her touch had not gone unnoticed 
by the Lord for he turned and asked: “Who 
touched my clothes?’* Peter, answering for him¬ 
self and the others said: “Master, the multitude 
throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou. Who 
touched me?*’ Jesus then replied: “Somebody 
hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is 
gone out of me.’’ The woman then came trembling 
forward and knelt before Jesus confessing what 
she had done and the reason for so doing. Jesus 
thereupon addressed her thus: “Daughter, be of 
good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; 
go in peace.” 

The above examples are significant of the Lord’s 
regard for faith. His recognition of its power was 
complete and without the slightest question to the 
contrary. Throughout his entire ministry we find 
that the exercise of faith played a most important 
part in all his works. If you will but take par¬ 
ticular notice of how completely and unmistakably 
this was so, when you are reviewing the history of 
His ministry, you will be convinced of its tremen¬ 
dous potential power. 


96 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


We know of no other man who possessed faith 
equal to that possessed by Jesus. That Paul un¬ 
derstood the power of faith, although he had not 
learned to exercise it as fully as Jesus, is evident be¬ 
cause he said: “And what shall I say? For the time 
would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Borak, 
and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also 
and of the prophets: who through faith subdued 
kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained prom¬ 
ises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the 
violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, 
out of the weakness were made strong, waxed 
valiant in fight, turned to flight armies of Aliens. 
Women received their dead to life again.” 

It was the Lord’s teaching that all should have 
faith or learn to believe. We have a good example 
of this when He came down from the mountain 
and found confusion among his disciples and the 
scribes and out of the crowd came a struggling 
man who kneeled before him and cried out that 
he was the father of an only son whose demoniac 
possession was shown by epilepsy, accompanied 
by dumbness, atrophy and suicidal mania. He had 
besought the disciples to cast out the evil spirit 
and their failure had occasioned the taunts of the 
scribes. Jesus, with a grieved heart exclaimed to 
those present including the disciples: “O faithless 


THE POWER OF FAITH 


97 


and perverse generation, how long shall I be with 
you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him 
hither to me.” When the boy was brought for¬ 
ward he was seized with violent convulsions and 
fell to the ground with foaming lips. Jesus calmly 
viewed the boy and asked: “How long has this 
happened to him?” The boy’s father answered: 
“From childhood: and often it flung him both 
into fire and into water to destroy him; but if at 
all thou canst take pity on us and help us.” “If 
thou canst?” answered Jesus, in the man’s own 
words—“All things are possible to him that be- 
lieveth.” The poor man, terrified at his own 
scepticism cried: “Lord, I believe; help thou mine 
unbelief.” Thereupon Jesus uttered the command: 
“Dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out 
of him, and enter no more into him.” The boy 
suffered a more fearful convulsion and then lay 
on the ground foaming at the mouth, but as though 
dead. Those nearby believed him to be dead. 
Jesus then raised him by the hand and restored 
him to his father calm and cured. 

You will have noticed that the Lord first re¬ 
quired full belief to be entertained by the father 
of the boy, and that not until that had come to pass 
did he exercise his power upon the boy. As a 
matter of factj it was upon the father’s belief that 


98 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


Jesus concentrated. With the father’s belief as¬ 
sured, there was to be no counter thought to His 
own faith when exercising the power of His will 
upon the son. 

The examples of faith or belief given you in 
these pages were intended by Jesus to serve as 
lessons to all mankind for all generations following, 
as were all of His teachings and healings. I have 
emphasized before the importance of realizing this 
fully. I do so again in order that there may 
be no doubt remaining in your mind that these 
lessons are intended for you, for me and for every¬ 
body. When viewed with present day under¬ 
standing, they stand out as forcible examples of 
extreme power and control. The lessons were 
given in a manner to let us know that the powers 
exercised by Jesus Christ were not exclusively 
his, but were for any one and every one who 
desired to exercise them. 

Jesus admonished his disciples more than once 
because they lacked sufficient faith. It is clearly 
evident that he wished them to understand that 
the measure of their success depended upon the 
extent of their faith. 

“All things are possible to him that believeth.” 
This is a direct statement of tremendous importance. 
It is not formed of idle words and when uttered 


THE POWER OP FAITH 


99 


was intended to be carried directly to you. You 
are certainly not going to pass it by with only 
casual thought when you know from whom it was 
transmitted to you, and that it has traversed 2000 
years of time in reaching you. 

“All things are possible to him that believeth.” 
This statement is now before you with the same 
meaning and force that it possessed at the time 
it was first uttered. If you have heretofore neglect¬ 
ed to realize that these words are directed to you 
and that they express an infallible law, stop right 
here and now, and ponder over them. You sure¬ 
ly will not place your judgment above that of 
our Lord, and deny that they do not bear truth. 
No! You will not. You will acknowledge the 
truth although perhaps you may be unable to 
demonstrate it except in a small way. 

Jesus believed that his words would reach all 
future generations for he gave his hearers to un¬ 
derstand that his words would never die. His 
words have reached our generation and we know 
they will carry on to all future generations. This 
alone is the strongest living demonstration of the 
infallibility of faith. He believed that his words 
would live forever and they bear the strongest evi¬ 
dence of doing so. He believed “All things are 
possible to him that believeth.” Surely if you pay 


100 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


attention to the evidence before you, your under¬ 
standing of God’s laws and of the fact that you are 
inseparably bound up in them, will be greatly 
improved. 

“All things are possible to him that believeth.’’ 
You may find difficulty in believing this, especially 
as regards its application to yourself. Perhaps 
you may be able to believe, that only those things 
in which you already have belief, are possible for 
you, and that there are many things not yet 
possible for you because you have thus far been 
unable to acquire belief that they are possible. 
This very thought is evidence of the truth of the 
statement. Those things are possible that you 
truly believe to be so. The others are not be¬ 
cause there is either an element of doubt in your 
mind or a complete negative thought. The things 
you consider to be not possible for you, are un¬ 
attainable because you firmly believe them to be 
unattainable. Think over the relation of your 
belief to what you can become, to what you can 
achieve, to what you can have, and then think 
over the relation of your belief to what you have 
not become, to what you have not achieved and 
to what you do not possess. Study this relation¬ 
ship carefully for yourself, as it applies to your¬ 
self and you will find that this is no by-play of 


THE POWER OF FAITH 


101 


words, but a serious importuning to those who 
are in doubt. 

“All things are possible to him that believeth." 
This wonderful statement cannot be repeated too 
often. Impress it well upon your mind. If it is 
already there, it will help you further to have 

it impressed still more firmly; and remember its 
full meaning is applicable to you to the fullest 
extent of the statement. It is true, you may seem 
to be unable to take whole-hearted advantage of 
this, but you will notice that there are perhaps 
many who do so to a greater extent than you 
do, while there are many others who appear un¬ 
able to acquire as much of their natural inheritance 
through the law of belief, as you are able to 

do. These differences evidence the fact that 
some people make use of the law more than others. 
The successful person believes in his success and 
to that extent he exhibits success, no more or no 
less; while the less fortunate person establishes his 

position also by the extent of his belief in his 

present limitations. Such a person may believe 
in greater success for himself in the future, but for 
the present he surrounds himself by limiting bar¬ 
riers constructed of limiting beliefs. 

Limiting belief barriers cannot, as a rule, be 
broken down in one stroke, especially by those 


102 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


who have developed highly, their reasoning pow¬ 
ers at the expense of intuition. In such cases, 
the barriers can only be removed a little at a time, 
or step by step in the same manner as is demon¬ 
strated by the process of reasoning. The habit 
of reasoning exerts itself when one endeavors to 
achieve anything through belief. Reasoning, clear¬ 
ly being a step by step process, it is quite natural 
that belief must pursue a step by step course. 
Both are effective through the mind and therefore 
cannot follow independent paths. 

Those with highly developed intuitive powers 
are able to take wider strides in working through 
the force of belief, than those with limited intui¬ 
tion are able to take. I pointed out earlier in 
these pages the desirability of not deadening one’s 
intuition. Again I wish to emphasize this, for not 
only is intuition the medium through which you 
receive counsel from your Creator, but it is only 
when this faculty is highly sensitive, that wide 
strides through the exercise of belief, are possible. 

Many of those who become temporarily inter¬ 
ested in metaphysics and faith cures, become dis¬ 
couraged because they cannot at once demonstrate 
realities through belief, and frequently give up all 
effort in that direction in consequence. Those have 
not learned that it is not easy to break old habits 


THE POWER OF FAITH 


103 


of the mind and to acquire new ones, and that it 
really requires diligent and consistent application 
if progress is to be made, and even then, progress 
can come only in easy stages. 

Christ’s faith did not become perfect at one 
stride. There is no doubt that all through his 
boyhood he acquired faith progressivevly and that 
this continued throughout his ministry. Even at 
the beginning of his ministry, when attending the 
wedding feast in Cana, when his Mother told 
him that the guests required wine, he answered: 
“Mine hour is not yet come.’* This showed clear¬ 
ly that he knew that he was developing progres¬ 
sively and that he felt he should perfect himself 
further before exercising his full powers of belief. 

Jesus never tested his powers or demonstrated 
them for purposes of exhibition. They were only 
exercised when real good was to be accomplished 
and then his faith never failed him. Every deed 
successfully accomplished gave him greater faith 
for the next. Still he always felt the need of 
communion with his Father and resorted fre¬ 
quently to prayer. Each period of prayer gave 
him greater faith in his mission and strengthened 
him more and more. He seriously and constantly 
applied himself to the belief in his mission and it 
was through constancy and persistency that he be- 


104 


CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 


came perfect. The same path of self-improve¬ 
ment is open to each one of us. If we are constant 
in our desire to gain understanding we will surely 
progress. Means for enlightenment will steadily 
unfold and as we gather knowledge, so we will 
find beliefs and realizations coming hand in hand 
into our individual existences, with awards not 
before believed possible for ourselves. 

Successive steps of progression will soon convince 
you of the great and wonderful truth of the state¬ 
ment I have so often quoted: “All things are 
possible to him that believeth” and that it is en¬ 
tirely possible for even you to accelerate your 
progress through the power of belief. You will 
gain greater faith in prayer and you will believe 
more than ever before that your prayers are heard 
and that they are always answered. 

With increasing faith in your spiritual unity 
with the Almighty, you will desire less and less, 
those things which you should not have and you 
will grow intuitively to ask for only those things 
that are proper. Thus, gradually and progressive¬ 
ly, you will gain command of yourself and of all 
things, and develop a life of harmony. 


SHARE ALL WITH OTHERS. 


As your understanding grows and your normal 
intuitive desires are fulfilled, the latter will be 
directed less for self and more for others. This is 
quite a natural trend, for no one can be really 
happy unless surrounded by harmonious condi¬ 
tions. Those within our range of contact must 
lead happy and harmonious lives if our own lives 
are to attain their full inheritance. It therefore 
is natural for us to desire to see others share all 
benefits which we may wish for ourselves. It is 
impossible for any one to enjoy anything alone. 
To believe it is possible and desire to do so, is 
unnatural and is due to a deadening of one’s 
faculties. It is indicative of one’s instinctive qual¬ 
ities having been smothered and held in suppression. 

It is quite important that each one of us should 
know, without any question of doubt, that happi¬ 
ness cannot be enjoyed alone and that it is useless 
to seek it solely for one’s self, as it is impossible 
to obtain it in that manner. 

Earlier in these pages I have drawn to your 
attention the fact that service is inseparably bonded 
to prosperity and happiness in our present day 
105 


106 CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 

social scheme. I again do so; this time to show 
how your spiritual development will cause to un¬ 
fold your inherent qualities to serve others. 

With the realization that happiness and all be¬ 
nefits are only to be enjoyed when shared with 
others, the desire to be of service becomes more 
pronounced and therefore one’s natural instincts, 
which may have been dampened before, are now 
brought into their natural channel of expression. 
It is indeed obvious that our thoughts and ac¬ 
tivities should be directed toward service for others 
and that the best should always be offered. The 
most effective channel through which we may reach 
others helpfully, is that of our daily occupations. 
In all legitimate industries and business enterprises, 
the opportunities to serve are present and it lies 
largely with each individual how far-reaching his 
or her service shall be. It is of course, seldom 
practicable to estimate the worth of one’s service 
and it is well not to try to do so. It is sufficient 
that you persistently endeavor to render the best. 
Your efforts will then become the most effective; 
and all, including those near you, will benefit either 
directly or indirectly. 

The returns received through one’s daily oc¬ 
cupation are usually measurable through income or 
wages earned. While it may be possible to place 


SHARE WITH ALL OTHERS 


107 


an approximate value upon the benefits derived 
from definite earnings, it is not possible to gather 
a distinct idea of the extent of the indirect benefits 
received. That there are indirect benefits in 
abundance, there is no doubt, and it is quite cer¬ 
tain that these are received in the greatest measure 
when the service rendered to others is the greatest, 
regardless of how large or how small the direct 
compensation may be. 

One direct benefit derived from one’s daily 
labors which is apt to stand out prominently, is 
the satisfaction experienced from doing one’s best. 
The feeling of self-respect and happiness is un¬ 
mistakably enhanced and thus one is better pre¬ 
pared and fitted for broader activities. It is pos¬ 
sible to change one’s life from unhappy discontented¬ 
ness to one diametrically opposite, simply by switch¬ 
ing from an indifferent endeavor in one’s daily 
work to an earnest desire of accomplishment. 

Having become aware of the true significance 
of service, the habit of guiding one’s activities in 
its direction is unconsciously acquired. It does 
not limit its scope to the endeavors expended in 
earning a livelihood, but reaches out in all direc¬ 
tions as well. In fact, service radiates from one 
who has come into his or her full inheritance. 
All who come near such a person become con- 


108 CONSCIENCE AND SUCCESS 

scious of a good received by such proximity. The 
good thus received serves as a new center of ef¬ 
fervescence and in turn, radiates its kind. Some 
of the rays of the latter return to the originating 
source, conveying to that body, not only the good 
initially sent out by it, but some added qualities 
of the reflecting bodies. Thus it is, we always 
receive more than we give. 

The reasoning we have followed teaches us 
very clearly that our behavior toward our fellow 
man should always be such as to benefit him. The 
law of life demands that each of our individual 
lives be lived for others. No one can live for 
himself alone, for to do so would violate the law. 
Those who have dulled their consciences and as 
a result are leading selfish lives, are violating the 
law of life and are paving the way to unhappy 
consequences for themselves. Escape from these 
is impossible although sometimes it may seemingly 
be postponed. We find in The Sermon On The 
Mount, much to guide us and it is always helpful 
to read again that wonderful discourse. Each 
time one reads it a step forward is made, so that 
you are urged to become absorbed, from time to 
time, in that refreshing Sermon given to the world 
by Jesus. It is in that sermon that he exhorts us 
thus: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would 


SHARE WITH ALL OTHERS 


109 


that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: 
for this is the law and the prophets.” Notice that 
Jesus here states clearly “for this is the law.” It 
is important that we take serious notice of this for 
it is desirable to emphasize, in your mind and in 
mine, the fact that our lives are truly governed by 
a law. It is when we keep this fact uppermost 
in our minds that we will grow more careful in 
our individual behavior towards others. We will 
then be promptly reminded of the Supreme power 
which governs us when we falter in our duty to 
others. 

There is only one course to follow through life. 
That is the right course. Your conscience will 
guide you in this if you will let it, for it is through 
that channel that you are reached by God. 


Lord, speak to me, that I may speak 
In living echoes of thy tone; 

As thou has sought, so let me seek, 

Thy erring children lost and lone. 

O lead me, Lord, that I may lead 

The wandering and the wavering feet; 

O feed me, Lord, that I may feed 
Thy hungering ones with manna sweet. 

O strengthen me, that while I stand 
Firm on the Rock, and strong in thee, 

I may stretch out a loving hand 
To wrestlers with the troubled sea. 

O teach me. Lord, that I may teach 
The precious things thou dost impart; 

And wing my words, that they may reach 
The hidden depths of many a heart. 

O give thine own sweet rest to me. 

That I may speak with soothing power 

A word in season, as from thee. 

To weary ones in needful hour. 


O fill me with thy fullness. Lord, 

Until, my very heart o’erflow 
In kindling thought and glowing word, 

Thy love to tell, thy praise to show. 

O use me, Lord, use even me, 

Just as thou wilt, and when, and where; 
Until thy blessed face I see 

Thy rest, thy joy, thy glory share. 


Frances R. Havergal, 1872. 


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